Not Meant for Breaking
by Tesekian
Summary: AU. Merry and Pippin are believed dead, but are really prisoners in the kingdom of Ethrin. Now war is brewing between Gondor and Ethrin. SLASH. M/P FINISHED
1. The Band of Belonging

Disclaimer: Given that there are an infinite number of parallel universes, in which every possibility is played out, there must logically be a parallel universe in which I own LotR. Unfortunately, it's not this one.  
  
Author's note: This story is set in an alternate universe post war. When Merry and Pippin were prisoners of the orcs, it wasn't Rohan who attacked, but a group of southerners. The southerners had trade routes cut off because of the war, and so were exploring northwards. They brought them through the Gap of Rohan along the river Isen to the sea, and took them by ship to Ethrin a kingdom south of both Gondor and Mordor. I'm fairly sure this course is possible, if it isn't, tough. It's obviously just another difference between this universe and the one we all know and love.  
  
***  
  
Merry clawed at the metal band around his wrist. He pulled and tugged and dug his fingers underneath but the band was too tight to come over his hand. The ends had been fused together so that the only way to take it off was to cut off his hand. But still Merry pulled at it.  
  
He was perched in the branches of the tree that grew outside his window, tears running down his face, trying to break a bond that couldn't be broken.  
  
"Merry?" a voice called, somewhere below him, and a man's head looked out of the window. "Merry, I've brought you some dinner."  
  
"I'm not hungry," Merry called down.  
  
"You? Not hungry? I shall have to tell the king we have an impostor in our midst." Merry didn't even smile at the man's week joke.  
  
"Merry, please come in." Merry remained where he was. "If you don't come in, I'll have to fetch you, and I don't think the branches will support my weight." It was only when he heard the snap of a small branch that Merry looked down and realised the man was indeed going to climb up and fetch him.  
  
"Wait," Merry called, "I'll come down." The man retreated back inside the window, and in moments Merry had scrambled in behind him. The room was a large one, with a strange mix of furniture. A human-sized bed had steps built on either side to allow a hobbit to get in more easily. The half- sized table was surrounded by four chairs, two small, two large. Two small, cushioned chairs stood on either side of the window. While the cupboard had obviously been intended for men to use, the games that were spilling out of the open door were made for hobbit hands.  
  
Merry sat down on one of the small chairs by the table, and picked up the fork that rested on the tray. He poked it in the stew, but didn't eat anything. He prodded the lumps of meat, and watched as the gravy swirled over them. The man, Acs, sat opposite him and watched.  
  
"Doesn't that hurt?" Acs asked after a while. Merry wondered what he was talking about, until he noticed the blood creeping under the band around his wrist. He must have torn the skin with his nails. It did hurt, he realised now, but he hadn't noticed.  
  
Acs fetched the wash bowl and cloth from its stand. He poured in a little of the water from the jug he had brought, and proceeded to clean Merry's wrist. The water stung on the cuts, but he didn't care. Merry just stared at the metal band, with his name and Pippin's inscribed in the surface in the language of Ethrin to represent the bond they shared.  
  
"What did I do?" he asked quietly, "Why did he leave?"  
  
"I don't know," Acs replied. "But I'm sure he'll come back. He loves you." Merry began to cry again. He buried his head in Acs' chest and simply broke down.  
  
***  
  
Krech only understood a little of the common tongue. He understood when the man said he would not be hurt if he answered the questions that he was asked truthfully, but didn't know whether to believe or not. Strange tales were told of these northern men.  
  
There were two of them in the room with him. One was questioning him thoroughly, the other just stood by the door and watched. Krech wasn't sure what purpose he had in being there. The room was small, furnished only with two hard chairs facing each other. The questioner sat in one, his back to the door. Krech sat in the opposite one. The chair he sat in was fixed to the floor, and Krech's legs were bound to it. They had left his arms free however.  
  
"Whom do you serve?" The questioner had asked that several times now, but Krech refused to reply, despite understanding it well enough. The questioner glanced at the other, who shrugged his shoulders slightly. Obviously the gesture meant something to the questioner.  
  
"What is that?" Here the questioner pointed to the band of metal around Krech's wrist. He didn't know the right word for it in common tongue, so he explained it as best he could.  
  
"It means I belong to another," he said. He wondered if he would ever see Anek again, touch her beautiful face, hold her in his arms. The bond meant that their souls were always together, but it was not the same as being able to speak to her and see her.  
  
The man by the door muttered a word Krech didn't understand: "Slaves."  
  
"What were you doing in Gondor?" the questioner asked.  
  
"I was sent to look at your land, your positions," Krech replied.  
  
"For invasion?" Again, the questioner used a word Krech didn't understand.  
  
"I don't understand," he said, honestly.  
  
"Why were you sent to look at our land?"  
  
"I don't know. I was told to come and I came." Krech suspected that the king wanted to know if it would be worth trading with this land, but he didn't know for sure and he shouldn't speculate before strangers. Especially strangers who held him prisoner.  
  
"Who sent you?" Krech was silent. "I know you understand me, and I will get the answers I want."  
  
"Please let me return," Krech said quietly. But the questioner kept on asking his questions. The man by the door listened silent to each answer. Krech was getting tired and was beginning to lose concentration. He might inadvertently give away more than he intended in a careless answer if this carried on much longer and so fell silent. The man continued asking, but Krech refused to answer.  
  
Suddenly the questioner stood up. The man by the door opened it and went out, the questioner following. Two guards came into the room, and cut the bonds that held him to the chair. They then seized his arms tightly and marched him out of the room. Krech was afraid that they were angry with him and planned to torture the information out of him.  
  
He needn't have worried. The room he was taken to was a cell, but it contained a bed. The guards released him and left him. He was left unbound, but there was still no way he could escape. He took the only logical action, and lay down on the bed to sleep.  
  
***  
  
Aragorn had been listening carefully as the spy was interrogated. He had come from the south, that much was certain. Gondor knew little about the lands there, and so he didn't know quite what to make of the man's answers. He was a slave, he had said, yet he wanted to return home. That seemed strange, and it seemed stranger that anyone would send a slave on such a mission. Unless perhaps the owner of this spy had some hold over him to force him to return. Perhaps a threat over a loved one?  
  
If the ruler of the southern kingdom was sending out scouts for invasion, Aragorn needed to know all he could. He had already sent spies of his own, south beyond the river Harnen, which marked the boundary of southern Gondor. He hoped he was wrong, but if the southerners were preparing an attack, Gondor must be prepared for war.  
  
***  
  
Author's note: Sorry it's such a short opening chapter. I'll post the next one soon. Please review. I don't mind criticism as long as it's useful, but please don't think that means you can't tell me I'm wonderful. 


	2. Prisoners

Author's note: Two reviews, both from the same person. Thank you, but I'm afraid I don't watch Pokemon, so I haven't a clue what you're on about. I think it was mean to be a compliment.  
  
***  
  
Pippin shivered beside the small fire. His clothes were soaked through with icy water from falling in the river, and now they were reluctant to dry. Near him men were talking quietly in common. They had come to the conclusion early on that he wouldn't be able to understand, and he hadn't bothered to correct them. So he sat by the fire, dripping wet, with his hands and feet bound and a blindfold over his eyes, listening.  
  
"I don't see what the point of bringing this one back," one of the men said, "What will a child know about anything?" Pippin guessed they were talking about him. They must have mistaken him for a human child.  
  
"I don't know," another replied, "I've known some inquisitive children."  
  
There was a laugh, and a third man spoke, "Now then, Caylith, you keep quiet about that and I'll keep quiet about what happened at Osgiliath this spring."  
  
The second man, Caylith, spoke again, "I think I know a few more things about you than you do about me, Faramir."  
  
"Ah, but do you want people to know about last September?"  
  
Caylith laughed, "I surrender."  
  
Their cheerful banter reminded Pippin of how he had been able to laugh and joke with Merry and Frodo before any of this began. Thinking of Merry made him feel like there was a gaping hole in his heart. For the last few years they hadn't been apart for more than a few hours at a time. Now Pippin was faced with the possibility of never seeing him again and he didn't think he could bear it. He sobbed, tears wetting the blindfold.  
  
One of the men came to his side and began rubbing his back in a calming way. "Ssh," he murmured, "it's alright." Pippin recognised the voice as Caylith's.  
  
"He's terrified," Caylith said, mistaking Pippin's shivering for fear, "can we not unbind his hands? It's not as though he could run away with his legs bound."  
  
"Do it," Faramir said. Caylith cut the ropes that held Pippin's arms behind his back and then removed the blindfold. He smiled at Pippin in what was supposed to be an encouraging way. There were only three men by the fire. There had been more when he had been taken prisoner, and Pippin wondered where they were now.  
  
He rubbed some life back into his hands, and Caylith watched curiously, looking at the marriage band. He took Pippin's left arm gently and lifted it so that they all could see the metal band around it.  
  
"What do you suppose this is for?" he asked.  
  
"It looks like a manacle," Faramir said.  
  
"But there's no place for the chains to attach." Pippin supposed there was a similarity between the band and a manacle, only in this case the chains were the invisible bonds of love. It still sickened him to hear it describe as such, and yanked his arm out of Caylith's grip.  
  
"Fierce little thing, isn't he?" Faramir said with a laugh. Pippin glared at him, and lay down, pulling his wet cloak around him in the feeble hope of gaining some warmth. With Merry foremost in his mind, Pippin closed his eyes and tried to sleep.  
  
***  
  
Merry slept fitfully that night, dreaming of Pippin as Pippin dreamed of him. He kept waking and finding the bed empty beside him. For a moment he couldn't remember why, then the memory hit him. Pippin was gone. He had left in the middle of the night without warning. Even Merry hadn't suspected anything. It wasn't as though they hadn't discussed the possibility of leaving, finding their way northwards. But in their plans it had always been the two of them. Now Pippin had gone off on his own, leaving Merry behind.  
  
Had he done something or said something wrong? He didn't think he had. But he must have done, or why else would Pippin leave him? Merry would start crying again, until sleep crept over him once more.  
  
He was woken in the morning by Acs carrying in a tray with his breakfast on. As Merry pulled himself out of bed and went to the table, Acs began going through the cupboard. Eventually, Merry's curiosity overcame his depression.  
  
"What are you looking for?" he asked.  
  
"Something warm for you to wear today," came the reply.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you can't stay stuck inside all the time, it's not good for you."  
  
After breakfast, Acs took Merry out of the palace and down to the beach it was built next to. A cold wind was blowing in from the sea, and Merry was glad of the thick cloak Acs had found. He stood near the edge of the water, sand between his toes and looked out towards the horizon. Guards hovered a discrete distance away.  
  
The last time he had come here was in the summer with Pippin. They had played in the water, splashing each other like children. Merry cried, remembering how it had felt to lie in the sand beneath the warm sun, arms round each other. He didn't know if he could cope with being alone.  
  
"I'm sorry, Merry," Acs said, seeing him upset, "I thought you might enjoy the change. Maybe we should go back." Merry didn't really care, wherever he went it would be somewhere Pippin wasn't.  
  
"Come on," Acs put a gentle hand on Merry's shoulder and steered him away from the beach. The sand sloped away from the water in a ridge. Grass grew on the top of the ridge, and the land became wooded. The palace of Ethrin was built amongst the trees. The stone towers could be seen for miles around above the woodland. It was a nice place, but so different from the holes and houses Merry had grown up with in the Shire.  
  
They went through the main palace gates, and the guards on either side didn't stop them. Acs left Merry as they came to the doors of the rooms he had shared with Pippin and Merry went in alone.  
  
A man was sitting waiting for him in one of the larger chairs. Merry saw who it was through tear-blurred eyes, and gave a hasty bow. King Elmas waved him to a seat.  
  
"You know what I've come to talk to you about?" King Elmas asked. Merry nodded. "Did Pippin speak to you about leaving?" Merry shook his head. "Then we must assume he was taking by force."  
  
"By whom?" Merry asked, suddenly afraid. His mind conjured up images of Pippin tortured and beaten by an unknown enemy.  
  
"Northern men have been seen in our kingdom, coming as spies. It's possible they have taken Pippin."  
  
"Why? What could they want with Pip?"  
  
"Information. But the question you should be asking is what Pippin was doing out at night, in a position to be captured."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean that he might have gone out specifically to meet these northern spies. He could have been giving them information about the positions of our armies. He could be helping them prepare an invasion."  
  
"No!" Merry protested, "He wouldn't do that!"  
  
"Then what was he doing?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"He always told you everything. I refuse to believe that you don't know the truth about whatever plot he is involved in, which means you must also be involved."  
  
"There is no plot," Merry said.  
  
"Then tell me what Pippin was doing." Merry couldn't answer, because he honestly didn't know. Unfortunately, King Elmas wasn't going to accept that.  
  
"Until you are willing to give me the truth, I will have to consider you my enemy," he said. He stood and walked to the door. "You will find things go much better for you if you co-operate." With that he left and Merry heard the sound of a key turning in the lock.  
  
***  
  
Author's note: I really am mean, leaving both Merry and Pippin prisoners. I guess you'll have to come back for the next chapter if you want to know what happens. Please tell me you want to know what happens. 


	3. Travellers

Author's note: Thank you to Xena for reviewing. I have one fan out there at least.  
  
***  
  
Pippin's legs were aching. They had been walking northwards since dawn and his short legs couldn't cope with the pace. It was past midday and they'd had no break. His arms were sore as well, as the men had tied them again when they'd set off, this time in front of him. He was glad they hadn't felt they needed a blindfold, but it didn't help him. He had never been in this part of Ethrin before. They had left the woodlands where the palace was built and most of the people made their homes, and were now in a landscape of plains and rolling hills. It reminded Pippin somewhat of Rohan.  
  
They were taking care to ensure Pippin didn't try to run away again. He wasn't anxious to try, since he had fallen in the river last time. He might be able to swim, but he certainly had no fondness for it. If they men hadn't pulled him out he'd be dead. He would rather be a prisoner than drowned.  
  
Faramir led the way. Caylith came next, marching Pippin in front of him. If Pippin did try to get away, Caylith would catch him before he could go two steps. The third man followed. His name seemed to be Mayomer. He didn't talk as much as the others did, and didn't share in their teasing of one another. While Pippin supposed Faramir and Caylith to be old friends, it seemed Mayomer hadn't know them as long.  
  
Pippin stumbled, and Caylith caught him before he fell. Pippin wanted nothing more than to collapse, and let his sore legs have a break. He didn't think he would be able to walk much further, yet it looked like the men were prepared to continue all day. It felt almost like being back among the orcs. Only this time, Merry wasn't with him.  
  
"He's not going to be able to last much longer," Caylith said as Pippin stumbled again.  
  
"It's a five day journey," Faramir said, "we can't afford to rest now. We'll carry him." Caylith bent down and lifted Pippin's bound arms, putting his head between them. Then he took hold of Pippin's legs and lifted him off the ground. Pippin clung to his back the way he had clung to his parent's back as a child. The small group moved on again, and Pippin remembered running races like this in the Shire. He still hadn't forgiven Frodo for tripping and sending him head first into Bywater Pond, despite him claiming it was an accident.  
  
***  
  
Merry was bored. Bored and afraid. He kept wondering what was happening to Pippin, if he was a prisoner somewhere, and most of all what had possessed him to leave the way he had. It must have been something very important for him to leave without telling Merry.  
  
He didn't have anything to take his mind off his fears, as the only games he had were meant for two players. Acs had too many other duties to attend to and so couldn't spend time playing with Merry. He did talk for a short while when he brought in Merry's luncheon.  
  
"I haven't done anything wrong," Merry said.  
  
"I know," Acs replied, "and I don't think King Elmas believes you have done either."  
  
"But he had me locked up."  
  
"In your room. If he thought you were really giving away his secrets to his enemies you'd be locked in a cell and guarded day and night."  
  
"I'm sure Pippin didn't do anything wrong either," Merry said.  
  
"The king doesn't know him like you do."  
  
"Do you think he's alright?"  
  
"I'm sure that Pippin will come back to you no matter what danger he's in." Merry smiled, and Acs left. The comfort he had brought lasted a few minutes, but then the depression returned even stronger than before.  
  
***  
  
Krech was being questioned again, but this time he was refusing to answer any of the questions.  
  
"I have said all I will say," he said, "let me go."  
  
"What does your king intend towards our land?" the questioner asked, but Krech remained resolutely silent. Eventually the questioner gave up and left, the guards returning Krech to his cell. He didn't like the expression on the questioner's face. He didn't know what these northerners intended to do to him, but he was sure it wouldn't be anything good. Maybe they would kill him now that he was no longer any use for him.  
  
He lay down on the bed and thought of Anek. He closed his eyes and imagined he was stroking her silky hair, whispering in her ear how much he loved her. Her image was fixed to his eyelids as much as the band was fixed to his wrist.  
  
He wanted to be home with her. He had promised her he would go home as soon as this scouting mission was over. He had never guessed these northern men would be so cruel as to keep him prisoner here when he had done nothing wrong. King Elmas would never be so unjust.  
  
***  
  
Acs entered Merry's room with his dinner only to find it empty. A cold wind was blowing through the open window and, a little worried, Acs went and looked through it. He saw a pair of bare feet hanging down from the branches above and relaxed. For a moment he had been afraid Merry had run away.  
  
"Merry, come inside," he called. Merry did as he was told, and climbed down the tree and in through the window.  
  
"Stay inside, Merry," Acs advised, "if the king learns you've been doing this you may wake to find bars on you window." Merry nodded, and sat down at the table to eat his dinner.  
  
"The king's sent out search parties to look for Pippin," Acs said, "If he's anywhere within the woodland he'll be found."  
  
"Where else could he be?" The woodlands were extensive, and covered most of Ethrin. Even the northern areas of the country, which were mainly grassland, had plenty of trees on them.  
  
Merry ate his meal in silence, but he gained some comfort from Acs' presence there. He wasn't completely alone, no matter how much he missed Pippin. At last the meal was over, and Acs took the tray back down to the kitchens.  
  
Having nothing else to do, Merry changed into his nightshirt and went to bed. His window was open a crack and he could hear the rustle of leaves in the wind. He drifted off to sleep, thinking of Pippin, the sound of leaves brushing against each other soothing his troubled mind.  
  
It was the sound in the tree that woke him up. He thought it was just a stronger wind, moving the branches more, but then he realised there was someone in the tree. Someone light, so that the branches didn't creak under their weight. It had to be someone light for the branches were slender. The rustle came again, followed by a slight scratching as something was pushed into the crack between the window and the frame.  
  
Merry sat up in bed, afraid, reaching for a heavy candlestick. It was dark outside, but Merry could make out a vague outline of a figure, levering the window open with a knife until the crack was wide enough for it to be pulled completely open. Merry's first thought was that it was Pippin, but Pippin wouldn't be carrying a knife and the figure was too large. It had to be a man.  
  
Merry waited, alert and ready, until the man pulled the window fully open. He put his hands on either side of the frame and leapt gracefully in. Merry chose that moment, when he landed on the floor, to attack. He jumped at the man, bringing the candlestick round on his head.  
  
The man fell onto the floor, Merry on top of him. Merry hadn't been ready for the fall, and lost his hold on the candlestick which rolled somewhere into the shadows. The man brought his arms up, trying to dislodge Merry, just as the moon came out from behind a cloud, lighting up the two who fought beneath the window. Both froze, staring in amazement at the other.  
  
***  
  
Author's note: So, strange men are climbing in through Merry's bedroom window at night. Not like that! Go and wash your mind out! 


	4. Legolas' Mistake

It wasn't a man who lay beneath Merry. The moon lit up a handsome face, with long blond hair falling back over pointed ears.  
  
"Legolas!" Merry said, as soon as he had got over his shock enough to speak.  
  
"Merry!" Legolas looked as surprised as Merry felt. Merry scrambled backwards off him and Legolas sat up.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Merry hissed.  
  
Suddenly both turned to the sound of footsteps outside and a key turning in the lock. Merry looked at Legolas with a panicked expression, thinking of how King Elmas would react to having an elf in his palace.  
  
"Hide!" Merry whispered. Legolas glanced around, and then slid under the bed just as the door opened. A guard stood there, holding out a candle.  
  
"Are you alright?" the guard asked, "I thought I heard noises."  
  
"I was having a bad dream," Merry lied, "I'm fine." The guard nodded with a look of sympathy. It seemed knowledge of Pippin leaving him had spread through the palace. The guard accepted this explanation and turned to leave.  
  
"Wait," Merry called, seeing the candlestick on the ground. He picked it up and took a candle from a supply in the cupboard. The guard, seeing what he intended, held out his own candle for Merry to light it.  
  
"Goodnight, Merry," the guard said kindly, leaving again, locking the door behind him. Legolas slid out from under the bed and looked around the room by the dim light of the candle.  
  
"Quite a nice prison," he commented.  
  
"It's not a prison," Merry said, "if they were at all serious about keeping me locked up they'd have barred the window." Merry was feeling surprisingly hostile towards Legolas. He had been in a foul mood since Pippin had gone, and he wasn't going to welcome someone climbing through his window in the middle of the night. Why was Legolas here now? Why hadn't he shown up when he would have been useful? When the orcs were driving Merry and Pippin to Isengard with their whips.  
  
"What are you doing here, Legolas?" he asked. "You'd better have a very good reason for why I just lied to that guard."  
  
"Most of my people have gone west," Legolas explained, "crossing to sea to the undying lands. I'm not ready to go yet. Since they went I have taken to wandering, since I no longer have a home in Middle Earth. I have travelled much of the world, sometimes with Gimli or Aragorn, mostly on my own. I came to these woods alone and decided to stay hidden until I learned more about the men who live here.  
  
"It was on my third day in these woods that I saw Pippin. He was with a group of men, collecting fruit, with guards watching. I guessed that he, and you, were prisoners here. I followed them to this palace. Pippin saw me, I think, but he didn't say anything. He just looked puzzled."  
  
"He didn't think you were real," Merry said, "I wanted to play chess with him but he said he wouldn't be able to concentrate. That he'd already been dreaming on his feet during the day."  
  
"That night, I was in the woods near the palace, and I saw him climb down from this window. I went to speak with him, but a group of men reached him before I could. There were a dozen of them, and they took him prisoner. I couldn't fight them all myself, and they would give the alarm before I had a chance of getting him free. I guessed them to be guards taking him back to his prison, and decided to wait for a better chance to rescue him."  
  
"We're not prisoners here," Merry said, "Well, in a way we are because we're not allowed to leave the kingdom, but we've always been treated kindly and allowed to do what we please."  
  
"Then why put you in chains?" Merry wondered what he was talking about, until he realised the candlelight was reflecting off the band of belonging on his left wrist. He laughed for the first time in days.  
  
"It's nothing like that. They have a custom here that when two people get married they put these on. They represent the eternal bonds of love, since they can never be taken off."  
  
"You're married?" Even in the dim light, Merry could see how amazed Legolas was.  
  
Merry nodded, blushing slightly, "To Pippin." He hurried on before Legolas could say anything, "I know that must seem strange, but Pippin and I. . ."  
  
"It doesn't seem strange," Legolas interrupted, "unexpected perhaps, but not unnatural. It happens sometimes among elves, and quite frequently among dwarves according to Gimli, but that's probably because its impossible to know whether a dwarf is male or female so same sex relationships are inevitable." Merry smiled at that.  
  
"I never thought that you and Pippin would end up together," Legolas said, "If anyone, I thought Frodo and Sam would, but apparently Sam is now happily married and raising a family."  
  
"They're alright?" The thought of news from the Shire was something Merry had never expected. He and Pippin had been cut off from everyone and everything that they knew. They had often wondered what had happened to the rest of the fellowship, and now Merry had the chance to know.  
  
Legolas told him everything that had happened since the day that the fellowship was broken. He told him about the battles and the war, about the rebuilding afterwards, and what he knew about the doings of the other fellowship members. Sometime while they were talking it ceased to be late and became early. The dawn was breaking and light coming through the window. Merry was able to put aside his concerns for Pippin for the first time since he had woken up to find him gone.  
  
Neither of them were expecting the door to open when it did. Both looked up as Acs came in, staring at the elf who sat in one of the chairs by the window. He froze for a moment, and that was all it took.  
  
"Go!" Merry said. Legolas hesitated. "I'll be alright." Legolas was out of the window in an instant and gone, disappearing into the trees. Acs recovered from his shock and put the breakfast tray down.  
  
"I have to report this," he said, "report you."  
  
"I know," Merry said quietly.  
  
"I'm sorry, Merry. You're my friend, but I've sworn to serve the king."  
  
"I know. Go and report me, I promise I'll be here when you get back." Acs hesitated, and then left. Merry sat down to eat his breakfast. He couldn't be certain of when he would next be fed if the king planned on punishing him for this, so he might as well make the most of the food he had now.  
  
He'd barely started eating when the door was flung open. Guards charged in. Merry didn't have time to react, as they grabbed his arms and knocked the chair aside. They forced him to his knees as King Elmas entered. Acs followed the king, looking anywhere but at Merry.  
  
"I don't like people lying to me," King Elmas said.  
  
"I didn't lie," Merry began. His words ended in a gasp of pain as one of the guards twisted his arm.  
  
"You brought a stranger into my palace! You were speaking with an enemy of Ethrin!"  
  
"No! Legolas isn't an enemy."  
  
"So you admit to have been speaking to him?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Yet you failed to mention him yesterday."  
  
"I didn't know he was here yesterday." The guard twisted his arm again, sending pain up into his shoulder.  
  
"You expect me to believe that someone you didn't know yesterday was in your room today discussing the secrets of my realm?"  
  
"I didn't say I didn't know him," Merry protested. He cried out as his arm was twisted even harder than before.  
  
"If you cannot keep your lies together for even a minute then I have nothing to say to you. You will not speak until you're ready to tell me the truth."  
  
"If you would just let me. . ." Merry's words were muffled as a guard shoved a thick gag into his mouth. The king strode out, and the guards bound Merry's hands tightly behind him. They then hauled him to his feet, and half dragged, half carried him from the room. Acs watched silently, shooting Merry looks of apology as he was pulled past him towards the cells.  
  
***  
  
Author's note: So now I've added Legolas to the confusion, this might get complicated. Please review. 


	5. Silence and Slip Ups

Author's note: Happy New Year, everyone. As your New Year's resolution I hope you've all decided to review.  
  
***  
  
Aragorn listened to the reports brought by his men with a heavy heart. The woods of Ethrin were apparently filled with armed men. They were clearing their homeland of any possible threats so that they could move the army safely. It was the only explanation.  
  
He wished the southerner would simply deny the accusations of war. It was the fact that he refused to answer which made Aragorn so certain. If the threat of war didn't exist the spy would have no reason not to deny it. His silence was as good as affirmation.  
  
Aragorn was also worried about Faramir. Faramir and his party of Rangers had left Minas Tirith two weeks ago, they should have had some news of them by now. Aragorn was afraid something had happened to them. If the king of Ethrin really were plotting war, it would be very bad indeed for Faramir to be found. Aragorn had great faith in Faramir's abilities, but still it wasn't enough to be set aside his fears.  
  
He was afraid as well for his people. Ethrin must believe they had some tactical advantage if they planned a war with no obvious purpose. They must feel so certain in their victory, and that made Aragorn afraid least his people should suffer greatly. They had barely managed to rebuild all that had been destroyed in the last war. He couldn't ask them to go through that again.  
  
Hoping to allay his fears, he went to see the prisoner. This time he didn't bother with having him brought to the interrogating room. Instead he went to the cell where the man was being kept. The man was sitting on his bed. He tensed as Aragorn entered, his eyes darting around fearfully. The guards stood behind Aragorn, but he waved them out of the room and shut the door.  
  
"Let me go home," the prisoner said.  
  
"First you answer my question. Is your king planning war on Gondor?"  
  
"I have said all I will say."  
  
"You have not yet answered that one. Answer, and I will consider letting you go free."  
  
Aragorn saw indecision flicker across his face. His right hand brushed the band of metal on his wrist. Then resolve set on the man's face and he pressed his lips firmly together. Perhaps his offer hadn't much incentive for one who would be returning home to slavery. Aragorn left him, his thoughts still resting on the war he wished he could prevent.  
  
***  
  
Merry wondered how much time had passed. It felt like days, but it might have been as little as hours. There was no light in the cell, so he couldn't even tell if it was night or day. He had slept for a time, but now he was awake again. He was sitting in the corner of the cell, leaning against the wall with his hands tied behind him. They had hurt for a while, but now they had gone numb. His mouth ached from the gag that held it open and his throat felt dry.  
  
Worst of all was the loneliness. The last time he had been in a cell like this one Pippin had been with him. They had spent the hours talking, remembering the Shire, wondering about the fate of their friends. Now Merry was alone, and he had no idea where Pippin was. The metal band on his wrist was a constant reminder of what he was lacking.  
  
Time passed and Merry dozed off again, dreaming that he was by Brandywine with Pippin, Frodo and Sam. For some reason Strider was there, only he kept turning into a cat. Pippin was saying something about there being snakes in the water.  
  
He was woken by the cell door opening and Acs came in. Merry's stomach greeted him loudly when he saw what Acs was carrying. A guard followed Acs, placing a torch in a holder by the door.  
  
"I'm to remove your gag so that you may eat," Acs said, "but if you say even a single word the gag will be replaced and it won't be removed again. Do you understand?" Merry nodded.  
  
Acs reached round the back of Merry's head and undid the knot. As the cloth slipped free, Merry opened and closed his mouth a few times, delighting in this freedom. Acs held up a cup of water first, and Merry took a few sips. It was wonderful to feel the cool water running down his parched throat. Acs then picked up the bread and held it up to Merry's mouth. Merry opened to his mouth to speak but stopped himself just in time. Instead he twisted round to show his bound hands, hoping Acs would understand.  
  
"I'm sorry, Merry," Acs said, "but you're to remain bound at all times." Merry nodded, and then opened his mouth to receive the bread Acs was holding. The meal was scant, just bread and water. It seemed there was to be more to his punishment than enforced silence.  
  
"I swore an oath to the king," Acs said, holding up the gag again, "and I must obey him even where it concerns my friends." Merry smiled to show he understood, and then allowed Acs to gag him. Then they were gone, taking the light with them, and Merry was left in his silent darkness. He did understand what Acs was going through. He too had to obey an oath even when he wished he could behave differently. Merry's oath had been necessary, as otherwise he would spent the rest of his life in a cell like this one.  
  
***  
  
They had been travelling for three days now. Pippin walked most of the way, but when he began to tire one or other of the men would carry him. They had treated him kindly, though they still kept his wrists bound, except when they made camp when they bound his legs instead. Since that first night they hadn't bothered with the blindfold. They talked freely, never suspecting that Pippin understood every word. They came from Gondor, he learned, and were taking him to the king. Pippin wondered what sort of man the king was. Faramir and the others spoke of him with respect.  
  
On the evening of the third day they set up camp next to a river. Caylith set Pippin down beside a rock and the removed his pack. The other two were doing much the same. Pippin was very thirsty, having not had a drink since that morning, and the sound of the river was driving him frantic.  
  
"Water," he said in the Ethrin tongue. Caylith looked at him, puzzled. Pippin raised his arms to point at the river and repeated his word.  
  
"You thirsty, little one?" Caylith asked. Pippin nodded, and only then realised the mistake he'd made.  
  
"I think he's been deceiving us," Caylith said, and both Faramir and Mayomer gathered round him. "You understand me, don't you?"  
  
"Yes," Pippin said, seeing no point in denying it.  
  
"Why did you let us think you did not?" Faramir demanded.  
  
"So I could learn who you were. You were more likely to talk about yourselves and your business if you didn't know I was listening." Faramir looked angry, then suddenly, to Pippin's surprise, he laughed.  
  
"You're a clever little thing," he said, "just don't try any more tricks like that. Do you understand?" Pippin nodded. "I don't like it when people lie to me."  
  
"I didn't lie," Pippin said, "I just didn't tell you that you were wrong."  
  
"And did you learn anything of importance?"  
  
"Not really, though I am rather curious to learn what happened at Osgiliath." Faramir laughed again.  
  
"I think I like you, little one. What's your name?"  
  
"I've not decided whether I trust you or not," Pippin said.  
  
"If you do not answer to us you will have to answer to the king."  
  
"Then I will answer when I have to and not before." Faramir tossed him a water bottle and the three men proceeded to make camp. They didn't punish Pippin for deceiving them, but they left his arms bound that night. 


	6. The Rescue?

Author's note: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! *Readers wince* A little hungover? One of the many advantages of being a non-drinker.  
  
***  
  
Legolas watched the palace in the fading light. It was now the second night since Legolas had been seen in Merry's room. He had eluded the men who were hunting for him in the woods and tried to find out what had happened to Merry. He had climbed the tree again, only to find the room deserted. Merry had obviously been taken elsewhere.  
  
He had crept into the palace other ways and searched for where his friend might be. Now he believed he had found it. There was a strong door which was guarded. As it opened, Legolas had glimpsed stairs leading downwards. It seemed to most likely place where Merry would be. Legolas couldn't afford to wait any longer. He had no idea what terrible torture Merry was being put through down there.  
  
Legolas climbed in a window near to the guarded door and moved silently as a shadow towards it. He looked round a corner and saw the door, two guards standing in front of it, talking. They clearly didn't expect anyone would try to get passed them.  
  
Before Legolas could make his move, the door opened and a man emerged. He appeared to be a servant, and was carrying a tray. A plate and cut rested on the tray, both empty. It seemed that the prisoners here were not starved, and Legolas took some comfort in that. He ducked back into an alcove as the servant passed him, but the servant seemed lost in his own thoughts. His expression was one of such sadness that for a moment Legolas pitied him.  
  
But then the man was gone and Legolas put him out of his mind. He took out his knife, but left his bow on his back. He wouldn't kill these men if he could help it. He leapt out of the shadows. Neither guard was particularly watchful, and in a few quick moves they were both unconscious. Legoalas left them, since their absence would cause as much alarm as their bodies.  
  
He went through the door and down the dark stairs. Torches burned at intervals along the wall, giving pools of feeble yellow light that did nothing to dispel the shadows. The dark, damp stone of which the walls were made seemed to absorb the light. Legolas shuddered: elves were not meant for dark places.  
  
The stairs ended in a dark tunnel, each wall lined with heavy doors. Other tunnels split away from this one, each with doors of their own. Legolas wondered how he would possibly find Merry before someone found the guards, when he saw that only one of the doors was guarded. This attempt for security only served to give Legolas the answers he needed.  
  
He saw that the guards each held a bow, and knew he wouldn't be able to get close enough to incapacitate them before being shot down. His only option was to use his bow. Then he had a better idea. . .  
  
He strode confidently down the corridor, careful to make noise as humans did. He hoped the dim light would shield his features long enough. The guards noticed him, and one asked him something in the language of this country. Legolas didn't understand, and so couldn't answer.  
  
The guard said something again, and by now both guards were preparing their bows. Legolas ran. He charged into one man's stomach, knocking him against the wall. Then he brought his foot up to kick the other man in the groin. He gave the first man a blow to the head that sent him sprawling, then kicked the second aside.  
  
He tried to open to door, and then began searching the two men for keys. He found the key quickly enough, and opened the door. Merry was sitting on the floor of the cell, a pitiful sight. He looked up at Legolas, blinking in the sudden light. Legolas ran to him, and removed the gag that was in his mouth.  
  
"Legolas, go!" Merry said, the instant he could speak. Legolas didn't, instead he cut the ropes around Merry's wrists.  
  
"Legolas, you have to go."  
  
"I came for you."  
  
"I'm not leaving." Legolas hadn't expected that. He looked into his friend's face in shock.  
  
"I gave my word," Merry continued, "Pippin and I both swore an oath that we wouldn't leave this kingdom unless King Elmas released us."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because otherwise we would have spent the rest of our lives in a cell like this one. I won't break my word." Legolas paused, thinking on what Merry had said. He wondered what good it would do Merry taking him from this place if he had to live with the dishonour of breaking an oath.  
  
"Go, Legolas." He nodded, tears on his cheeks that he would be leaving his friend like this. But he knew nothing would pursuade Merry. An oath must be kept.  
  
He ran out of the cell door, and stopped instantly. In front of him were several men. All armed with bows. All aimed at him. Legolas still had his knife in his hand, but he couldn't do anything. A man whom Legolas guessed to be the king came forwards.  
  
"Lay down your weapons," he ordered in common. Legolas saw he had no choice and set the knife down on the floor, followed by his bow. The men were upon him instantly, binding his arms. He struggled, but there were too many of them for him to resist.  
  
The king gave an order in his own language.  
  
"No!" cried Merry from behind him in a frightened voice. He then said something in the Ethrin tongue. It sounded a lot like pleading.  
  
The king snapped an order at Merry in the same language and Merry fell silent. As the men hauled Legolas off down the tunnel he could only wonder what the order was, and why Merry was so frightened by it.  
  
***  
  
Author's note: Yes! Evil cliffhangers are back! 


	7. Fire and Water

Author's note: Thank you to my two reviewers. It's always good to know my hard work is being appreciated.  
  
***  
  
King Elmas entered the cell, and Merry stood defiantly before him. He could hear the sound of Legolas being taken away, and was afraid for him. He knew how the king feared outsiders. The room of fire where he had been taken was a place spoken of in whispers of fear. It had been a threat given to Merry and Pippin when they were first brought to Ethrin, though neither of them knew what lay within it.  
  
"It seems you are honest about some things," King Elmas said.  
  
"I have never lied to you," Merry responded.  
  
"You told me you didn't know the elf."  
  
"I said I didn't know he was here. You didn't give me a chance to explain."  
  
"Explain now."  
  
"Pippin and I knew Legolas before we were brought here." Merry then went on to explain all that Legolas had told him. "I know Legolas means no harm to Ethrin. He thought me and Pippin were slaves and was only trying to help us."  
  
"If what you say is true then Pippin is almost certainly a prisoner of the northerners. It is bad enough that they encroach on my lands, but to take one of my people prisoner! It is an act of war!" Merry wondered if he'd misheard that. Was it possible the king thought of Merry and Pippin as Ethrins?  
  
***  
  
Legolas only got a glimpse of the room before he was blindfolded. There were shelves around the walls covered in implements he didn't want to know the purpose of. In the centre of the room was a metal table with restraints on, and beneath it was what looked like a grate.  
  
As soon as the blindfold was on securely, the guards cut the ropes on his wrists and put him on the table. He struggled, but there were a good many of them, and then soon had him held down. Metal restraints held down his wrists, ankles, waist and neck. The table beneath him was cold against his body.  
  
There was a moment's pause, then hands grabbed his shirt, pulling it off him. He heard the fabric tear. As they pulled his back was pulled off the table slightly, pressing against the restraints. Then the fabric on his back tore and he slammed down into the table again. The metal was icy against his skin.  
  
He wondered what would happen next, when he heard footsteps. The door opened and then closed again, and Legolas was left alone. What was happening to Merry, he wondered. Why had he sounded so afraid? He lay there waiting, as the table began to warm to his body.  
  
At last the door opened and footsteps crossed to the table.  
  
"Why did you come here, elf?" a voice demanded. Legolas recognised it as King Elmas'.  
  
"I was exploring. My people have gone into the west and I have no home to belong to."  
  
"What do you know of Gondor?"  
  
"I have been there on occasion." Legolas wasn't sure how much Merry and Pippin would have told him about the quest and so didn't know how much to say himself.  
  
"And Gondor's king?"  
  
"He is a good man."  
  
There was a sound of metal sliding against metal. It sounded like a blade being drawn. The point of the blade was pressed against Legolas' chest. It wasn't hard to even to break the skin or even hurt, it was just a threat.  
  
"Why is he intent on making war with my land?" Legolas couldn't believe that of Aragorn. He knew Aragorn to be a lover of peace and wouldn't accept that he would ever try to provoke a war.  
  
"That does not sound like the man that I know."  
  
"And how well do you know him?" Legolas didn't answer that. "You would do well to answer my questions, elf, for beneath you a fire is laid. I have only to give the order and we shall see how much heat an elf can endure."  
  
"I have know Aragorn a long time, long enough to consider him my friend."  
  
"What will he do with Pippin?" King Elmas demanded. Legolas was puzzled. It sounded almost as though he was concerned for him.  
  
"Pippin will not be hurt," Legolas said, "for the king knows him, though he was not yet king when they were friends."  
  
"So the king must know Merry as well." There was something in King Elmas' tone Legolas didn't like, and was afraid that he had said too much.  
  
***  
  
The sun had set, but instead of making camp, Faramir urged the group onwards. Faramir was carrying Pippin at this point, and Pippin was almost sleeping on his back, then a sudden rough step would jolt him awake.  
  
The sun set and the western sky grew dark. The moon came out above them, and in the distance Pippin saw the gleam of a river. As they drew closer he could make out dark shapes on it and realised they were boats. Most hobbits hated boats, but Pippin had spent enough time by the Brandywine with Merry for him to not mind. Still, he'd much rather be on solid ground than water.  
  
They reached the river shortly, and Pippin saw there were other people waiting by the boats. Faramir said something to one of them and then climbed into a boat. He placed Pippin down on the deck, while Caylith, Mayomer and a few of the others boarded. The boat was small, and Pippin huddled against the edge while the others moved about.  
  
His eyes began to close, and he was barely away of the boat being pushed off from the side of the river. Someone tucked a blanket over him and he slept, while the boat sailed slowly up the Anduin.  
  
***  
  
Author's note: I've put the cliffhanger in the middle of the chapter, that's just insane. Ah well, at least there is one. Please review. 


	8. The Steward and the King

Author's note: Many thanks to my reviewers, but I feel like being evil so you won't get to find out what happens to Merry and Legolas.  
  
***  
  
Pippin was woken by hands gently shaking him. He opened his eyes in the early morning light to see Faramir standing over him.  
  
"We have arrived," Faramir said. Pippin sat up and looked around. The boat was moored at a landing stage on the edge of a river, along with some larger ships. The river at this point was very wide. Only a short distance away was a walled city of white stone, with a tower rising up from its centre. Pippin knew where he was, for Boromir had often spoken of his home. This was Minas Tirith.  
  
He looked at it closely as they came up to the gates. The gates themselves seemed to be of newer stone work than the rest of the wall. Faramir followed his gaze.  
  
"Much damage was done by the great war," he said. He went up to the gate and said something quietly to a guard. He then waves his hand to Caylith and Mayomer who entered the city with Pippin walking between them bound.  
  
Everywhere Pippin looked he could see evidence of new stonework among the old. Faramir was right about the damage this city had suffered. The four of them passed onwards, with Faramir speaking softly to the guards of the gates they went through. Pippin counted seven in total, before they reached the heart of the city and the white tower itself. A white tree grew beneath a fountain in the centre of the courtyard.  
  
There were raised voices coming from a door leading onto the courtyard and Faramir stopped to listen.  
  
"The king accepted the dwarves' offer of help because they are known to be the best stonemasons. Why do you not even listen to them?" An angry voice was demanding. One that sounded very familiar to Pippin.  
  
"I didn't become a mason so I could have my work stolen by a bunch of half- sized barbarians with axes," another voice responded.  
  
"They are not trying to steal your work, they are trying to improve it!" Pippin noticed he didn't deny the comment about barbarians. Faramir walked over the door where the voices were coming from. Pippin followed, needing to know if he was right about the voice. Caylith and Mayomer both waited in the courtyard.  
  
"Take a look at what the dwarves are suggesting! If you still think you can do better come back to me then!" At that the angry stonemason stormed out. Inside the room a tired-looking man sank onto a chair.  
  
"Give me an army of orcs any day," he muttered. Faramir stepped into the room and the man on the chair looked up. Pippin saw that he had been right about recognising the voice. It was Boromir who sat there.  
  
"Are you certain you do not want this position?" he asked.  
  
Faramir laughed, "It is the price you pay for being eldest." Boromir shook his head, then his gaze fell on Pippin.  
  
"Pippin?" he said in amazement, as though he wasn't sure he could trust his eyes. A moment later he was off the chair and enveloping Pippin in a hug so tight he could barely breathe.  
  
"We thought you were dead," Boromir said.  
  
"I thought you were," Pippin responded, "I saw you get shot."  
  
"An arrow wound is no match for Aragorn's healing skills." Boromir stepped back and looked at Faramir. "Why is he bound?"  
  
"I didn't know who he was," Faramir said, "for he refused to give his name." Faramir quickly cut the ropes on Pippin's wrists with a short apology.  
  
"Where is the king?" Faramir asked Boromir.  
  
"Speaking with one of the spies we took prisoner," Boromir replied. He glanced down at Pippin, "He will be glad to see you."  
  
Boromir led the way as they entered a corridor and found some stairs going down. Pippin noticed he seemed to be struggling for breath even after a short walk at a slow pace. That wasn't like the Boromir who had been with them on the quest. Pippin also noticed that he wasn't carrying his sword, which he had carried even in Rivendell. They walked along a corridor lined with doors. It reminded Pippin of the cells in Ethrin and he shuddered.  
  
"Don't worry," Boromir said, "you will not have to be down here long." They reached a door that looked just like any of the other doors they had passed. But Boromir clearly knew it was the right one. The guard nodded to him and opened the door.  
  
Inside the king was interrogating the prisoner. The king turned when the door opened, and Pippin stared in as much amazement as he did.  
  
"Strider?"  
  
"Pippin?" Strider's amazement quickly changed to delight, and he hugged Pippin. "How can this be?" Pippin took a deep breath, preparing to explain all that had happened to him, but Strider cut him off, "No, we will go somewhere more comfortable to talk."  
  
Strider went to the door, a hand on Pippin's shoulder. But Pippin glanced back, and saw the band of belonging on the prisoner's wrist. He stopped and went back into the room, Strider watching him curiously.  
  
"Pippin?"  
  
"You are from Ethrin?" Pippin asked in the Ethrin tongue.  
  
"Yes," the man replied in the same language.  
  
Pippin turned to Strider, "Why is he a prisoner here?"  
  
"We found him spying on our army. We think they are planning war, and need to know why." Pippin frowned at this. He didn't know King Elmas well, but he didn't think he would act like this. He wouldn't make war.  
  
"Is King Elmas planning war?" Pippin asked in the Ethrin tongue.  
  
"I will not answer to one who speaks to these cruel fiends as friends."  
  
"Strider is a good and noble man!" Pippin exclaimed angrily, "More noble than King Elmas, for he at least has a reason in holding you prisoner."  
  
"You were treated with more kindness."  
  
"We had done nothing wrong and meant no harm to Ethrin. King Aragorn fears that you mean to make war against his land. Do you?"  
  
"I will not tell these people anything of the king's purpose."  
  
Pippin couldn't understand why he was being so unreasonable, but saw that he wasn't going to get anywhere. "If war comes about because of your silence," Pippin said, "I only hope your bonded one will forgive you, since no one else will." Pippin turned and left, Strider, Boromir and Faramir following, all astonished.  
  
"What did he say to you?" Strider asked when they were out of the cell and the door locked behind them.  
  
"He wouldn't tell me if King Elmas plans war or not. I don't think he would risk war against a country as powerful as Gondor."  
  
"Gondor is not as powerful as she once was," Strider said, "we lost a lot of good soldiers during the war, and we are still repairing the damage done to our defences. Perhaps King Elmas sees this as his opportunity."  
  
"Perhaps," Pippin agreed, but he wasn't truly convinced.  
  
They left the cells and Strider took them to a room in the tower. Once the four of them were comfortable, he bade Pippin tell them what had happened to him. Pippin did so, missing out that he and Merry were now married as he wasn't sure how they would react to that. Then Strider and Boromir told him what had happened to the rest of the fellowship after he and Merry were taken by the orcs. When they had finished with these tales, Faramir told some that were of greater importance. He described what he had seen of Ethrin. To him at least it seemed like a country preparing for war. Pippin wondered if he could have missed all this while he had been in the palace. He didn't believe he could have failed to see that the king was preparing for war.  
  
Much later, Pippin lay on the bed he had been given, thinking. Thinking of Merry, thinking of Ethrin, thinking of the war that might be coming. As he thought, he reached a decision. He got out of bed and went to the table where his dinner had been laid. He had been provided with more food than even a hobbit needed, and gratefully packed some in a bag he found in the cupboard. He pulled a blanket off the bed and then set out.  
  
The city was empty. An occasional window showed some light, but most of the houses were dark. Pippin passed through the sleeping streets, trying to remember the way they had come in.  
  
"How do you plan on getting across the Anduin?" Pippin spun round, startled by the voice, and saw Boromir standing watching him.  
  
"I have to go back," Pippin said.  
  
"I thought you might want to," Boromir said, "You love him, don't you?" Pippin nodded, rather surprised that Boromir had guessed when the others hadn't seemed to. Boromir must have caught his surprise, because he said, "I am not the same man you knew. I have changed a lot because of the war." He smiled, "I know that Aragorn wouldn't want you to go back there. You must come with me now." He put a hand on Pippin's shoulder and steered him firmly along the streets. Pippin wondered where he was taking him when Boromir guided him through a doorway and along a dark corridor. Then suddenly they reached the end. Boromir pushed open a door, and they stepped out beneath the night sky outside the city walls.  
  
"I will take you across the river," Boromir said, "but you will have to find your way south from there." Pippin could hear the strain in his voice as he spoke and saw that he placed a hand on his side as though he was in pain.  
  
"Why are you helping me leave if you know Strider wouldn't want it?"  
  
"Because I know how important it is to be with the one you love." Boromir didn't expand on that cryptic comment, and Pippin decided it would be better not to ask.  
  
They reached the landing stage, and Boromir set Pippin in one of the smaller boats. Boromir was climbing in himself when a man came up to him.  
  
"What are you doing?" the man demanded. Boromir stepped up to him, his face clearly visible in the moonlight.  
  
"I am on the king's business," Boromir said.  
  
"I'm sorry, sir," the man said, backing away. Boromir was in the boat and launching her across the river before the man had a chance to change his mind.  
  
"Will you get in trouble for this?" Pippin asked.  
  
"Probably," Boromir replied, "but I won't mind if I get demoted."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I was trained as a soldier, not a negotiator. In battle everything was so simple, now I'm not allowed to kill those I deal with no matter how tempting it may be at times." He gave a small laugh.  
  
Because they were only going across the river and not travelling along it, the journey lasted only a few minutes before Boromir steered the boat to the edge of the river and made it secure to the trunk of a small tree. He helped Pippin out of the boat and then handed him something. Pippin couldn't see it clearly, but realised almost instantly what it was. It was the sword he had carried on the quest, taken from the Barrowdowns in the Old Forest.  
  
"Good luck, Pippin," Boromir said before climbing into the boat once more. Pippin turned, and began walking south.  
  
***  
  
Author's note: I will let you know what's happening to the others, I promise. I just need to sort out the timeline otherwise I could end up with someone needing to get from Minas Tirith to Ethrin and I find I've only given them a day to do it. I also felt I needed to include Boromir, if only so that it meant Faramir really was free to go off being a soldier and whatever. 


	9. Pippin's Journey

Author's note: I've had an interesting morning doing chocolate tasting with Sunday School. It's amazing what you can relate to religion if you think hard enough. Harry Potter has featured in several sessions, but we haven't used LotR yet. Maybe if we did a session on racism we could talk about elves and dwarves.  
  
***  
  
"Your Majesty?" Aragorn saw the nervous servant standing in the doorway and beckoned him in.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Your Majesty, the halfling is not in his room."  
  
"He's probably gone off in search of the kitchens," Aragorn said, but even as he said it he knew it wasn't that. Something was wrong. "Start looking for him in the citadel and find out if he passed the guards at the gate."  
  
"Yes, Your Majesty." The servant bowed and left.  
  
"You won't find him in the city." Boromir walked in, having heard the end of the conversation.  
  
"What do you mean, Boromir?"  
  
"I mean, that he is no longer in the Minas Tirith."  
  
Aragorn's voice went stern as he realised the true meaning behind Boromir's statement. "Then where is he?"  
  
"He wanted to return to Ethrin."  
  
"Alone!" Aragorn roared, his temper getting the better of him, "And you let him?"  
  
"You would not have kept him here," Boromir stated, "Not unless you meant to hold him prisoner. He needed to return." As Aragorn fought to control his temper he realised Boromir was probably right, but it didn't make it easier for him to know that Pippin could be in great danger and that his friend had helped the situation come about.  
  
"It is possible he could do a lot of good in the south," Boromir continued, "He knows the language and the people and can find out what's really going on better than any of our spies." Aragorn tried to see Boromir's point, but all he could think of was the fact that Pippin was out there in the wild, alone. He had only just found his friend after believing him dead for so long, he couldn't lose him again so soon.  
  
"If anything happens to Pippin," Aragorn said, "anything at all, I will hold you personally responsible." Boromir nodded, silent.  
  
***  
  
The sunrise was gloriously golden, but Pippin was too tired to notice. He had been walking for most of the night now and felt as though he might collapse. He sat down to rest for a few minutes. He had to keep going, but a brief halt would make it that much easier.  
  
Yawning widely, he closed his eyes. He'd just rest for a few moments then he'd start off again. Just a few mo. . .  
  
Pippin woke up suddenly when a bird cried overhead. He looked around and realised he must have been asleep for hours. The sun was already past the midpoint and beginning its descent towards the western sky. He was on his feet instantly, grabbing his bag and walking as fast as he could manage. He'd never meant to go to sleep and now he'd lost so much precious time.  
  
After a while he slowed to a pace he would be able to keep up, but still he was walking fast. It had taken five days to travel from Ethrin to Gondor, and it would most likely take Pippin longer to make the journey back, as now there was no one to carry him when he couldn't walk any further.  
  
He trudged on as the sun grew lower in the sky. He trudged on as the sun turned the sky on his right red, and lit up a heavy bank of clouds to a deep purple. He trudged on when the sun had disappeared and the stars began to appear. He walked until his legs were aching and his eyelids were beginning to close of their own accord. He walked until he was exhausted and still he kept on walking.  
  
Always his mind was fixed on Merry. He missed him so much it hurt. He hadn't thought about Merry when he'd gone out to see if he'd been mistaken when he saw Legolas, and he'd regretted it ever since. He'd left Merry alone without giving him a reason why. He'd been thoughtless, and now he couldn't help thinking about how his actions must have hurt Merry. He'd left the one he loved with all his heart for the sake of a face glimpsed through the trees that had probably been nothing more than his imagination.  
  
Tears blurred his vision. He stumbled along in the dark, crying, until it became clear he wasn't going to get anywhere until he could see properly. The only thing he could do was wait until dawn. Pippin collapsed on the ground and sobbed. He fell asleep crying and thinking of Merry.  
  
***  
  
How long had it been since Legolas had tried to rescue him? It felt like a year at least, but Merry knew it couldn't be more than four days at the most, one at the least. He was fairly sure it was more than two. They had brought blankets and a pillow for him so he could be more comfortable. King Elmas had allowed him to remain unbound.  
  
He sat on the floor in the darkness. Then when his muscles started to stiffen he would stand and walk back and forth. Four steps from one side of the room to the other, then four steps back. That was all the activity he could do. So there was nothing to take his mind of worrying. Where was Pippin? And what was happening to Legolas?  
  
Merry became aware of footsteps on the other side of the door. Moments later the door opened and Acs came in with a tray of food. Breakfast or dinner, Merry didn't know.  
  
"Where's Legolas?" Merry asked, since there was no point in asking about Pippin.  
  
"They took him to the room of fire and haven't brought him out," Acs replied, compassion and pity in his voice.  
  
"I want to see him."  
  
"I don't know if that would be allowed."  
  
"Then ask. I need to see him."  
  
"I will ask." Acs left, and Merry ate the meagre portion of bread and meat he had been given. Still, it was better than nothing.  
  
The door opened again and a guard came in. It was one Merry didn't know, and he knew most of the palace guards by sight at least.  
  
"You are to come with me," the guard said. Merry stood and followed the guard out. The room he was taken to was away from the rest of the cells. As soon as the door was opened Merry felt a blast of heat hit him and knew why the room had its name. The guard pushed Merry inside and the door closed behind him.  
  
Merry looked round at the instruments on the walls and shuddered. He couldn't even guess what most of them were for, and he didn't want to. Legolas lay held down on a metal table above the grate that gave the room its name. A strange metal tube was above the grate, which Merry supposed must be the chimney, but it bent and dropped through the floor. Still, it must be doing its job for there was no smoke in the room and there were warm ashes on the grate.  
  
Merry ran to Legolas' side and pulled of the blindfold that covered his eyes. He could see no sign of injury on his friend, but there was a thin sheen of sweat covering his skin.  
  
"Are you alright?" Merry asked.  
  
"Yes," Legolas replied, "I am not affected by temperature as much as humans or hobbits." Merry remembered the way Legolas had seemed perfectly comfortable up Caradhras while the rest of them had felt as though they were turning to ice. "Have they hurt you?"  
  
"No," Merry shook his head. "I was more worried about you."  
  
"The king wants me to tell him about Gondor's army, but I would not even if I knew enough to satisfy him. He says Gondor is planning war but I don't believe it. Aragorn would not act that way."  
  
"I know," Merry said. "But you mustn't make him angry. He has a very short temper."  
  
"He has no honour."  
  
"I wouldn't say that. There are some things he'd never do. He wouldn't break his word, or harm a child, or anything like that."  
  
The door suddenly opened again and the guard returned, abruptly ending their conversation. He grabbed Merry firmly by the arm and pulled him out of the room. Merry looked back at Legolas before the door closed between them, and wondered if that would be the last time that he saw his friend.  
  
***  
  
Author's note: Wow, I got the cliffhanger on the end of the chapter that time. I'm getting better. 


	10. Fire and Ice

Author's note: I've just been standing in the snow for over half an hour waiting for a bus. Why did they have to pick today to be late? Still, I saw Two Towers for the third time so it wasn't all bad.  
  
**  
  
Rain was falling heavily as Pippin walked. He reached the edge of the river and looked for somewhere safe to cross. While he couldn't get any wetter, the water was flowing fast and he didn't want to risk swimming across. He walked downstream for a while, since he knew the place where Faramir had crossed was that direction. It was a long way in that direction, but at least there would definitely be a place to cross somewhere.  
  
The heavy clouds overhead made the day almost as dark as night, and water dripped from Pippin's hair. Water ran down his face and mingled with the tears he was crying. The Harnen river flowed on, deep and fast beside him, an impenetrable barrier between him and Merry. His entire body was freezing, and he could no longer feel his toes and fingers they were so cold.  
  
He walked westwards, shivering in his sopping clothes and weeping at the futility of his task. Was there some higher power working against him? Trying to keep him from returning to Merry? It seemed almost as though there were. All he wanted was to find some way across the river, but even that was impossible.  
  
"I'm sorry, Merry," he sobbed. "I'm sorry."  
  
***  
  
The rain had stopped some time in the night while he slept. The sky was still overcast, but light pierced the grey covering. Somehow, things didn't seem so bleak now. Pippin stood and began walking again. He had been walking along the bank for a while before he came to the ford. The exact time couldn't even be guessed, as the sun was hidden by the clouds.  
  
The clothes which had just begun to dry got soaked again as he waded through water that came up passed his waist at one point. But icy though it was, the water was shallow enough for him to cross safely.  
  
Once on the other side his heart was raised. He felt he was a lot closer to Merry now, more than the distance across the river. He had passed what seemed like an impossible barrier. What did the distance matter now? He walked south with renewed confidence.  
  
***  
  
They hadn't replaced the blindfold after Merry had left, so Legolas could look around the room. The instruments that surrounded the walls looked vicious. Many had hooks or barbs. Others had blades. Some on the higher shelves he could only see part of, leather straps and metal prongs.  
  
How long would it take for them to realise the fire wasn't effecting him as they intended? How long before they started using those torture implements on him?  
  
The door opened and King Elmas came in. He stood away from the table where Legolas lay, which was still very hot, even though the fire had gone out some time ago.  
  
"Have you decided to answer my questions yet?" King Elmas asked.  
  
"King Aragorn would not start a war unless you had done something to provoke it," Legolas said.  
  
"His armies are being prepared, his scouts are invading my lands. What is this if not the preparation for war?" Legolas didn't answer. "Tell me, what are is main tactics in battle? Does he use much cavalry or is his army infantry?" Again Legolas didn't answer.  
  
"You will regret silence, elf," King Elmas said.  
  
"Not as much as I should regret speech."  
  
"I will defend my lands and my people. For that I need your knowledge and I will get it by whatever means are necessary."  
  
"I will not tell you," Legolas said, "no matter what you do to me, for I know Aragorn would not make war against you unprovoked."  
  
"Your stubbornness will be your undoing." The king stormed out, and a man whom Legolas hadn't seen before entered. He smiled cruelly, and walked along the shelves slowly. Legolas could see him running his hand over the items there, and fear grew in his heart. So the torture was to begin for real now.  
  
***  
  
Author's note: And on that evil note, I will leave you. 


	11. Pain

Author's note: I promise, I will get Merry and Pippin together in the next couple of chapters. Probably.  
  
***  
  
Pippin blew on his hands to try and warm them as he walked. Autumn was rapidly fading to winter and the weather was beginning to show it. He pulled his cloak tightly around him and walked onwards, but the exercise did nothing to keep him warm. The landscape seemed the same no matter how far he walked. He began to feel that he wasn't going anywhere at all.  
  
At last, a dark shadow appeared on the horizon in front of him. As he walked, the shadow grew and took form. An hour or so later it was recognisable as a forest: the woodlands of Ethrin. He knew there was still a long way to go, but the proof that he was getting somewhere was enough to raise his spirits. Despite the cold and his damp clothes, he increased his speed and was almost cheerful as he reached the eaves of the wood. In a few days he would be with Merry again. In a few days, the hole in his heart would be filled.  
  
He kept thinking of that, and every step forward seemed to lighten his grief a little. Soon now. He could almost feel the touch of Merry's hand, hear his voice. That gave him strength. The thought of who would await him at the end.  
  
***  
  
Merry waited in the darkness. He thought about a day had passed since he had seen Legolas, since he had slept for a time between sessions of just sitting and waiting. But he didn't know how long he had slept for, so it could have been much less than that.  
  
After some immeasurable length of time, Acs came in bearing his meal. The guard stood in the open doorway watching carefully.  
  
"How long have I been locked up?" Merry asked.  
  
"Eight days in all," Acs replied. So Pippin had been gone nine days. It seemed like much longer. So much could have happened to him in that time and Merry had no way of knowing what. He ate his meal slowly, wondering where Pippin was, what those men who had taken him prisoner were doing to him. King Elmas talked about the northerners, and according to Legolas Gondor was the country directly north of Ethrin. If Pippin had been taken to Gondor then he would be alright. At least Merry hoped so. He just wished he could know for sure.  
  
Once he had finished the meal, Acs took the tray up again. He left, but the guard didn't. He seemed to be waiting.  
  
"Do you want to see your friend or not?" he asked at last. Merry stood quickly, understanding now why the guard had waited. So he was to be allowed to see Legolas each day. The king must be feeling kindly towards him.  
  
Merry followed the guard to the room of fire. He knew something was different the moment the door opened. While it was still warmer inside the room, it wasn't as hot as it had been the day before. Merry only had a moment to wonder at this when he saw the reason. Legolas was lying on the table as before, but this time there was something over his chest. Merry ran to him, barely aware of the door closing behind him, and looked at it.  
  
It was a block of heavy wood, with metal rods coming out so they reached over the edge of the table. Onto these rods were hung weights, so that the wood was pressed down on Legolas' chest. Merry quickly tried to undo the ropes that held the weights to the rods.  
  
"No," Legolas said with some effort, "you will only be punished."  
  
"But I can't just leave you like this." Legolas didn't answer. He was struggling with each breath he took and there was no energy to spare on idle words.  
  
"Why did they do this?" Merry asked.  
  
"I didn't answer," Legolas replied, simply.  
  
"This is all my fault," Merry said, finally releasing the guilt he had held inside, "if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be here."  
  
"Not your fault." This reply didn't do anything to ease Merry's guilt. Legolas had come for him, and now he was being tortured. He hadn't even been grateful that Legolas had tried to rescue him.  
  
"I'm sorry," Merry said, tears glistening on his cheeks. Legolas shook his head, trying to show he didn't blame Merry. Merry understood, but he couldn't help blaming himself. Neither of them knew what to say, so they stayed in silence for the short while they were allowed together.  
  
The guard re-entered shortly, and told hold of Merry's arm. Merry didn't even bother resisting as he was taken back to his cell. He sank onto the floor and cried. His life seemed to be cursed. He had lost his home, his freedom and his friends. Now Pippin, the one thing he had been able to hold onto, was gone as well, and the curse seemed to be spreading so those he cared about suffered. Maybe it would have been better if the orcs had killed him.  
  
***  
  
Pippin walked under the trees in the gathering darkness. He knew it must be almost night, even though the sun was hidden by branches. He thought he hurt something in the trees, and glanced round. The movement was a mistake, as his foot slipped on the damp leaves and he fell heavily on his leg.  
  
He gave a small cry of surprise and pain, then shifted to see if he'd damaged anything. His leg hurt, but not badly. It would probably just bruise. He shouldn't have been so clumsy. The movement he had heard was probably nothing more than some woodland animal.  
  
Using a tree trunk for support he stood, and tested his weight gingerly on his leg. It was sore, but he could still walk. So walk he did, continuing into the trees while it was still light enough to see.  
  
All too soon, the light was gone, and Pippin was stumbling almost blind through the trees. He heard something again, and looked round. He couldn't see anything in the dark. He began to worry that there might be dangerous animals in these woods. He and Merry had never been out alone, and never for more than a few hours, so no one had told them if there were any dangers in the woods.  
  
Fearful, Pippin quickened his pace. This posed a problem, as he couldn't see the tree roots and low branches that made such a journey difficult. He caught his foot on something and fell flat on his face. The fall yanked at his bad leg, and pain shot up it. Cursing his stupidity, Pippin rolled over onto his back, only to find himself staring up at a sword, the point of which hovered close above his neck.  
  
***  
  
Author's note: I love cliffhangers. Review, or else I'll leave it like that. 


	12. Pippin's Return

Author's note: I did intend to post this chapter yesterday, but fanfiction.net wasn't working. Better late than never.  
  
***  
  
The man holding the sword was dressed in the uniform of Ethrin. Pippin had seen him on occasion around the palace on duty. Surely he recognised Pippin too? Apparently he didn't, for the sword remained at Pippin's throat.  
  
"The king doesn't think much of oathbreakers," the soldier said. For a moment Pippin didn't understand what he meant, then he saw that that must be how his disappearance was interpreted. He hoped Merry didn't think this of him as well, but they couldn't have known about the Gondor soldiers.  
  
More soldiers came up behind the first, most with faces that were familiar to Pippin. One of them drew out the sword that hung at Pippin's side.  
  
"That's mine," Pippin protested, tried to grab it back, but couldn't sit up because of the soldier's sword above him throat. When the sword did move, it was only so that one of the others could haul Pippin to a sitting position and tie his arms behind him.  
  
"The king will be pleased to have you back," the soldier said with a sneer, "I'm sure he wants to punish you for running off."  
  
"I was going back to the king anyway," Pippin said.  
  
"Your words mean nothing. You've already proved yourself a liar." Pippin didn't see the point in denying this, since the man seemed determined not to listen. He had been treated with more kindness by Faramir, and he had thought Pippin was from a country about to go to war with his own.  
  
***  
  
They had taken him to see Legolas twice more, which made Merry think they would continue letting him see him once a day. He guessed it was once a day from the length of time he had been left alone between the brief meetings.  
  
During the most recent meeting, Legolas had barely been able to speak. Merry could only imagine how horrible it must be for him, every breath such an effort. Merry doubted he had been able to sleep, since asleep he wouldn't have been able to force the wood up. It wouldn't be long before Legolas didn't have any strength left. Merry wondered if they had even been feeding him.  
  
He heard footsteps outside, and looked up as the door opened. He couldn't think why anyone would be coming in now. In the sudden brightness, Merry saw the silhouette of a guard with someone small by his side, then he shoved the small person in and the door slammed shut again.  
  
"Merry?" came a quiet voice.  
  
"Pip?" Merry reached out in the direction the voice had come from. He found Pippin's shoulder and then just flung his arms round him. Tears ran down Merry's cheeks though he wasn't sure why.  
  
"You're safe," Merry said, struggling to believe it, "you're safe."  
  
"I'm sorry, Merry," Pippin sobbed. Merry held onto Pippin as though he might fade away and disappear again if he let go.  
  
"What happened?" Merry asked, as soon as he was confident enough in Pippin's reality to come out of the embrace. Pippin explained everything that had happened. His meetings with Faramir, Boromir and Strider. Then it was Merry's turn. He told Pippin about the king's reaction, about Legolas and the attempt at a rescue, about what Legolas was going through. They listened to each other's tales.  
  
Even the thought of Legolas couldn't upset Merry, not now he had Pippin in his arms once more. They were together, as they should be.  
  
The door opened again, and the king entered. A guard followed and placed a torch in the holder by the door, so that the flickering light illuminated the room.  
  
"Why did you leave?" the king demanded.  
  
"I was taken prisoner," Pippin said, "The king of Gondor thinks you're planning war against him. Are you?" Merry caught the look of surprise that crossed the king's face just for a moment.  
  
"I don't have to answer to you," the king said.  
  
"I came back to warn you. If you're planning war you're making a huge mistake. Gondor has a great army, and if you attack then you'll be defeated and all of Ethrin will suffer. If you aren't, then send a messenger and say so. He'll listen."  
  
"And how do I know that he won't use my attempt to make peace against me? To attack when I think I am safe?"  
  
"He would never do that," Pippin said, at exactly the same moment Merry said, "He wouldn't."  
  
"King Aragorn is a lover of peace," Pippin said. The king looked at both of them in turn. His expression was shadowed, because the only light was coming from behind him, so neither could tell what he was thinking. They did get the impression however that it wasn't something good.  
  
"We shall see," King Elmas muttered. Then he turned and strode out. The guard took the torch and followed, leaving Merry and Pippin alone in the cell.  
  
***  
  
Legolas was barely aware of the door opening. All his energy was focused on the task of breathing. In and out. In and out. In and out. His chest ached unbearably. He longed to just close his eyes and relax, but to do that for even an instant would mean death.  
  
He looked blearily up at the figures who came to the side of the table. Their faces blurred so that he couldn't make out any features. He decided not to worry about it, and just concentrated on his breathing. He wouldn't be able to stop them from doing whatever they planned to do.  
  
Suddenly the pressure on his chest dropped considerably. As he was in the middle of straining for a breath, he found he could fill his lungs properly. Then the men pulled the lump of wood off his chest and Legolas had a few moments to enjoy the undervalued pleasure of being able to fill his lungs with air.  
  
As he became aware of his senses again, he realised the men were undoing the restraints that held him to the table. Once he was free, he tried to push himself into a sitting position, but found his arms just collapsed under his weight. The men put hands around his back and helped him, and then one of them tipped something down his throat. It felt and tasted like water. Legolas hoped it was. It eased his dry throat anyway, which brought some comfort to him.  
  
The men gave him a moment to recover, then lifted him off the table by his arms. He put his feet to the ground, but his legs felt as substantial as soup, and he would have fallen but for the hands that gripped him tightly. He was half-dragged, half-carried from the room, his feet trailing along the floor as he tried and failed to support his own weight.  
  
He took note of where he was being taken. He was taken up the stairs into the main part of the palace. A servant stood aside, watching curiously, as they passed. Legolas was brought to a room that was richly furnished. He looked round at the tapestry-covered walls, the luxurious couches and the carved tables as he was dumped on a hard chair. It was clearly well built, but it was uncomfortable nonetheless. In front of him was a table.  
  
King Elmas walked in and sat down at a much nicer chair opposite him. A servant followed, the one who had come to Merry's room the night Legolas had climbed in the window. He placed a tray of food in front of Legolas. Enticing scents wafted up to his nostrils from the thick stew.  
  
"You have not bothered with such courtesies before," Legolas said, looking at the food but not eating it, despite the gaping void in his stomach. "Why now?"  
  
"Surely your last meal should be a good one," King Elmas said. His last meal. So they planned to kill him.  
  
***  
  
Author's note: I don't mean to be evil, it just happens.  
  
At least I got Merry and Pippin together like I promised. I'll leave it up to your imaginations what they do to keep themselves occupied, but I wouldn't have thought it would be eye spy. 


	13. Together

Author's note: There are hints about sex, but nothing is actually said or done.  
  
***  
  
It felt as though Merry had lost all blood supply to his right arm. He didn't dare move in case it woke Pippin, who was the reason for this loss of circulation. He lay sleeping beside Merry. At least, Merry assumed he was sleeping since his breathing was steady and he lay calmly. It was too dark to know for sure.  
  
Pippin shifted slightly, murmuring something in his sleep. He turned so his head was on Merry's chest, an arm stretched across his body. This movement allowed blood to return to Merry's hand, and he shifted himself, bringing his arms round Pippin's sleeping form.  
  
The rest of the world seemed to have disappeared. Well, not quite disappeared. They were somewhere out there, and in the back of Merry's mind. They just weren't important anymore. It didn't matter what was happening in Gondor or the Shire, as long as Merry could lie here forever, Pippin asleep in his arms. This was all he needed. Pippin was all he needed.  
  
He lay there, staring into the darkness, bathed in contentment. It didn't matter that the floor was hard beneath his back. It didn't matter that no light pierced the blackness that surrounded him. All that mattered was lying within his arms.  
  
Eventually Pippin stirred again, and Merry knew by the change in his breathing that he was waking up.  
  
"Good morning," Merry said, placing a kiss on Pippin's forehead.  
  
"Is it morning?" Pippin asked sleepily.  
  
"To be honest, I don't know," Merry said, "It's not important though." They lay there for some time, Merry holding Pippin and Pippin content to be held.  
  
A while later, they heard footsteps in the corridor outside. Merry quickly pulled up the blanket that was more or less covering them so that they were completely covered when the door opened.  
  
Acs looked at the pair of them and smiled, placing the tray down on the floor.  
  
"Perhaps we should leave them for a moment," Acs suggested to the guard. The guard placed his torch in the holder by the door and stepped outside, pulling the door to behind him. Grinning at each other, Merry and Pippin retrieved their discarded clothes and quickly dressed. They then set to their meal.  
  
They had already finished when the door opened and Acs entered to retrieve the tray. The guard took the torch from its holder, and turned to leave.  
  
"May we see Legolas?" Merry asked, summoning courage from some unknown place inside him.  
  
"That's impossible," the guard said. A moment later he was gone, leaving Merry and Pippin to wonder and fear about that last statement. Why should it be impossible?  
  
***  
  
"Do you think Frodo and Sam would have been bonded if they were the ones who were brought here?" Pippin asked unexpectedly.  
  
"What makes you ask that?"  
  
"I'm just curious."  
  
"Well, they do care about each other enough," Merry said thoughtfully, "but I don't know if they care about each other in the same way that we do." He leaned across to kiss Pippin, but in the darkness he missed his target and they both ended up laughing.  
  
"Sam's married now, according to Legolas," Merry said, "To Rose Cotton."  
  
"It's difficult to imagine Sam married," Pippin commented. There was a short pause. "Frodo must be terribly jealous."  
  
"Pippin!" They laughed again. Even a cell could be a cheerful place so long as they were together.  
  
They had slept for a while, curled together beneath the blanket as thought they were in their bed. When they had woken they had just lain in companionable silence, occasionally sharing a few words.  
  
Footsteps echoed outside again, and they sat up, expecting it to be Acs with their next meal. But it wasn't Acs who entered. Rather it was a group of guards. They didn't wait for the two hobbits to stand, but instead seized them roughly and dragged them to their feet. They barely had time to be surprised, as they were shoved through the door. The guards just pushed them in the right direction, occasionally grabbing them by the shoulder's and steering, instead of just telling them where to go.  
  
Merry looked back at Pippin, who was being propelled along behind him, but a guard gave him such a violent shove he almost fell. After that he just walked along the corridors he was taken down. They climbed some stairs and entered the main section of the palace. It was the east wing, Merry realised, a part of the palace he and Pippin rarely visited, since it was where King Elmas' private rooms were.  
  
The king was waiting in what was known as his visiting room. He was sitting on a large, carved chair raised on a dias so it dominated the room. The room itself was large enough to fit almost a hundred guests, but there was no other furniture. The whole purpose was to make visitors uncomfortable, while the king could study them at his ease.  
  
The king was seated in the chair now, and in front of him were a group of soldiers in the livery of Ethrin. The guards forced Merry and Pippin to their knees before the king, who looked down on them critically.  
  
"Bind them," he ordered after a moment's scrutiny. "I will not have you escaping again," he told the hobbits. The guards tied their hands behind them, so that the ropes dug painfully into their wrists. Then a long piece of rope was tied round their waists so that there was only a metre-length section between them. Both ends of the rope were long enough to be held by a guard, so that they was no chance of them getting away.  
  
The king then strode out the room. The soldiers followed, and the guards came behind them, Merry and Pippin led on the rope. They left the palace through the main door, and the two hobbits looked in dismay at what they saw in the courtyard. Ranks of soldiers stood armed and ready.  
  
"They're going to war," Pippin said. Moments later an order was given, and the soldiers began to march, the two hobbits prisoners in their midst. The army left the palace, and marched northwards, towards Gondor.  
  
***  
  
Author's note: I couldn't resist this cliffhanger. Sorry. I promise to update soon. 


	14. Preparations for War

Author's note: I had a very good day's shopping today. I didn't actually buy anything, but I got some free LotR pictures and trading cards. Meg and Gemma got the Legolas ones though. Ah well, I've got Frodo, Aragorn, Arwen and the Argonath so I can't complain.  
  
***  
  
Merry wasn't able to speak to Pippin as they marched. Pippin was behind him, and Merry had to put a lot of concentration into not falling over on the rough ground. It was difficult to keep balance tied up as he was.  
  
He was soon tired, since the pace the army was moving at was one set by men. With their little legs, the hobbits could only stumble along between the guards, almost running to keep pace.  
  
When the army did halt briefly, they sat and tried to get their breath back. They had barely begun to recover, when they were forced to their feet and the march continued. At this pace, it would take only about four days to reach Minas Tirith, Pippin thought, remembering his journey with Faramir. Unfortunately, he didn't know if he could cope with four days of this.  
  
At last night drew in around them and the army halted. Merry and Pippin were still bound together, and the loose ends of the rope were tied to a tree so that there was no chance of them getting away. Pippin didn't think he could have managed to even if he had been unbound and unguarded.  
  
They each sank gratefully to the ground. The guards gave each of them a drink of water that they so desperately needed. When it became apparent that nothing else would be given to them, they both lay down to sleep. They lay back to back on the hard earth, hands seeking and finding the others. They lay there as darkness grew, bound hands gripping bound hands, giving the tactile comfort that they were not alone.  
  
Despite their weariness, the discomfort they were in made it difficult to sleep. Pippin's wrists were sore from the ropes and his shoulders aching from the position they were forced into. Pippin wished he'd stayed in Minas Tirith. He hadn't accomplished anything by coming back. The war he'd hoped to prevent was still going to happen.  
  
Then as Merry's grip tightened momentarily on his hands, Pippin knew he'd made the right choice. Whatever happened, he and Merry would be there together. The way they were meant to be.  
  
***  
  
Aragorn stood giving orders to his generals. They listened carefully to his instructions, and Aragorn could only hope his decisions would be the right ones. If he made the wrong choice here he might inadvertently cause a war he wasn't sure he could afford to fight.  
  
"The larger section of the army is to remain in Minas Tirith," Aragorn said, "I want only fifty men with me, and so I want to best fifty you can offer." The generals nodded that they understood. Aragorn then went on to explain his plan.  
  
When he had finished and the generals gone to carry out his orders, Aragorn noticed Boromir standing beside the door. Aragorn was still angry with Boromir about Pippin. While he could see logically why Boromir had acted, logic didn't permeate through to his feelings. However he waited, willing to listen to what Boromir had to say.  
  
"I want to come with you," Boromir said.  
  
"You're not a soldier anymore," Aragorn replied rather harshly.  
  
"I know that. But it's my fault those halflings ended up in that land. I want to help. I have to be there." Aragorn thought for a long while. Boromir had almost been destroyed by guilt when the orcs had taken Merry and Pippin, and when they thought the two were dead. If anything happened to them now, Aragorn knew that Boromir would feel he was to blame.  
  
"You can come," Aragorn said. He might be angry with Boromir right now, but they were still friends. Boromir needed to be there, and Aragorn wouldn't stand in his way.  
  
"Thank you." Boromir turned to leave, and again Aragorn was left to worry if he'd made the right decision. Boromir might once have been the best swordsman in Gondor, but now even walking was painful for him. He'd been wounded by the orc arrows so badly that even Aragorn's healing skills hadn't been able to help. Boromir would bear those wounds for the rest of his life, and if it came to a battle, he would most likely not survive.  
  
***  
  
Pippin had felt almost as tired when he was woken as when he fell asleep. An uncomfortable night bound on hard earth was not very refreshing. At least his legs weren't aching as much as they had been.  
  
That didn't last very long though. Almost as soon as they were awake, they were on the move again. Merry was marched in front of Pippin, the rope that bound them together still gripped by the guards. The day was one of dreary monotony. They just walked and walked until Pippin's feet was painful. They passed out from under the eaves of the wood and walked onwards across the open plain.  
  
They stopped briefly at midday, and the two hobbits were given a drink. Pippin's stomach was empty, and it growled continuously as they walked. Yet the men guarding them didn't think to give them even the smallest morsel of food. He wondered if he would fade away completely from hunger before this was over.  
  
They marched on, until Pippin's aching muscles were screaming at him to stop, but still he was forced onwards. His vision began to blur, and it seemed as though darkness was growing around the edge of his sight.  
  
He fell suddenly. His legs just gave out, refusing to bear his weight any longer. He lay on the ground, too tired to move at all. His vision began to go dark.  
  
"Get up!" one of the men ordered.  
  
"He's starving and exhausted," Pippin heard Merry protest, but it sounded as though he was far away.  
  
"Get up!" the man ordered again. Pippin vaguely felt something hard digging into his side, but somehow he couldn't care. It would take too much effort to care.  
  
"Leave him alone!" Merry shouted.  
  
"Shut up!" The last thing Pippin heard before he slipped completely into unconsciousness was the sound of fist meeting flesh.  
  
***  
  
Author's note: Not too evil, compared to normal. 


	15. Fever

Author's note: I've finally got rid of my sister. She's going back to university today. Hurray! I won't have her practising taking blood samples on me any more or leaving her brain lying around the lounge carpet in pieces.  
  
***  
  
A purple bruise was growing on Merry's jaw where the man had struck him. It was painful, but bearable. It wasn't the bruise that worried him though, it was Pippin. Merry was worn out from the walking they were being forced to do, and the hunger was a constant pain in his stomach, but it wasn't enough to make him collapse.  
  
Pippin just lay over the shoulder of one of the guards, head dangling down the man's back. He hadn't so much as moved since he had collapsed, and Merry began to worry that he was more than just unconsciousness.  
  
After a while Pippin did begin to move, and for a few moments Merry was relieved. Then he realised Pippin was murmuring to himself in a strange mix of Ethrin and common. A garbled nonsense. It made Merry more afraid for him than when he had been still and silent. He called out to Merry several times, and Merry wanted nothing more than to take his hand, let him know he was there, but the ropes that bound him prevented it.  
  
"Merry!" Pippin called pitifully, "Merry!" Why had King Elmas brought them with him, Merry wondered? What use would they be to him in a war?  
  
When they stopped for the night, the guard carrying Pippin just dumped him on the ground. Merry winced as his bonded one hit the ground, and went immediately to his side. Pippin's cheeks were flushed, and though the ropes prevented Merry from feeling his head, he knew that it would be hot. Pippin murmured something Merry couldn't quite hear and began thrashing around.  
  
"Keep still!" the guard ordered.  
  
"He's sick," Merry protested, "Can't you see that?"  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
"He needs a healer."  
  
"I told you to shut up."  
  
Pippin suddenly shouted a garbled stream of nonsense. Merry lent close over his face and felt the warmth coming off him. Tears filled his eyes.  
  
"Ssh," he whispered. "It's alright. It's alright. I'm here."  
  
"Merry?" Pippin seemed calmer.  
  
"I'm here, Pippin." A smile grew on Pippin's face, but it was clear he was still trapped in fever dreams. A terrible fear filled Merry's heart, that Pippin might not wake up. He didn't know how he would cope if Pippin died, but it was clear these men would do nothing to help him.  
  
Merry became aware that someone was standing in front of him, and he looked up, bleary eyed, at King Elmas. Anger almost drowned his fear, as he glared up at the king. He was the one responsible for this. It was his fault Pippin was ill.  
  
"He needs help," Merry said.  
  
"How long will he last?" the king asked.  
  
"Not long without a healer."  
  
"I can't spare the time for him to be healed. He will have to fare on his own a few more days."  
  
"Haven't you got a heart?" Merry shouted, forgetting that this man could order his death, forgetting everything but the fact that Pippin lay ill beside him.  
  
King Elmas raised a hand as though to strike him, but changed his mind. He turned and walked away. Merry sobbed for the sake of the one he loved. One who might not even survive the night.  
  
***  
  
The next morning they reached the river Harnen. Merry could see the troops of Gondor arrayed on the other side of the river, and was dismayed to see that there were only about half the number of the Ethrin soldiers.  
  
Merry was pushed forward, almost to the edge of the river, and the guard who carried Pippin set him down by his side. Another man was also brought to that position, one wearing the uniform of Gondor who was bound as the two hobbits were.  
  
King Elmas rode away from the troops on his own, into the centre of the river. As the water flowed around the horse's legs, a rider separated himself from the Gondorian troops and rode to meet him. As he came closer, Merry recognised him as Strider.  
  
The two kings sat on their horses in the centre of the river, their troops waiting on either side. Merry could see that the soldiers of both sides were uncomfortable, and felt often for their weapons. But he was more interested in what was happening between the kings.  
  
They spoke for a long time. At one point, King Elmas pointed towards where he stood. Often afterwards, Strider would glance in their direction. Merry knew they were discussing him and Pippin, and wondered why. He was afraid of what King Elmas would make Strider give up in exchange for them.  
  
Pippin moaned quietly, and said something about it being gone. Merry didn't know what he was talking about, but immediately crouched beside him, murmuring reassurances.  
  
"You're not alone," Merry said, "I'm here with you. You're not alone." The Gondor soldier who stood beside them looked at them with pity. "You're not alone," Merry kept repeating, but the comfort his voice had brought Pippin previously seemed to have gone. Pippin just moaned as if with pain, and turned away from Merry.  
  
A short while later, King Elmas rode back to this side of the river. He stopped by the three prisoners, and nodded to the guards. To Merry's surprise, one of the guards stepped up behind him and cut the ropes around his wrists, before continuing to do the same to the others. Rubbing his sore wrists in the hope of returning circulation to his hands, he looked up curiously at the king.  
  
"You are free to go," the king said in common. Merry glanced across the river, and saw that a prisoner on that side was also being freed. So they were being exchanged.  
  
The Gondor soldier bent down and lifted Pippin from the grass, before walking slowly into the river. Merry hurried in after him, the icy water freezing his legs. He walked beside the man who held Pippin as they waded through the river, passing the Ethrin soldier at the midpoint. Was this the man Pippin had met in Minas Tirith?  
  
As soon as they reached the northern side of the river, Strider was there with them. He didn't say a single word of greeting to Merry, just looked at Pippin. He reached out and touched his forehead. Merry watched as Strider's expression became one of worry and fear, and the fear inside himself increased.  
  
"Will he die?" Merry asked.  
  
"I don't know," Strider replied.  
  
***  
  
Author's note: Well, I couldn't just let them be exchange now could I? That wouldn't be good for a cliffhanger at all. 


	16. Fever Dreams

Merry waited impatiently in the houses of healing. Strider had taken Pippin into one of the rooms inside and he and a healer had been in their for hours. Merry was made to wait outside the room with Boromir. Merry had been very surprised when Legolas arrived shortly after they did, but now his thoughts were on Pippin again. He would have plenty of time to talk to Legolas later.  
  
After what seemed like an age, Strider came out of the room. Those waiting looked at him expectantly.  
  
"He's sleeping now," he said, "but he should be alright." He smiled at Merry, "You can go in, but try not to disturb him." Merry needed no further invitation. He rushed into the room, where Pippin lay on a large bed. His skin was still flushed, but not as badly as before. It looked as though the fever had broken.  
  
Merry sat down in a chair by the bed as the healer left and took Pippin's hand in his own. Overwhelmed with relief, he brought that hand up to his mouth and kissed it. In his sleep, Pippin smiled a little. Aragorn, standing in the doorway, looked at the bands around their wrists. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled, as he understood. He closed the door, and gave the two hobbits their privacy.  
  
***  
  
"Merry!" Pippin called as he came above the water. He reached out his hand to where Merry was standing, on the bank of the river, but Merry didn't take his hand. "Merry!" Pippin called again.  
  
Pippin slipped beneath the surface of the water. He splashed around, trying to pull himself up. He looked and saw Merry standing there.  
  
"I'm here with you," Merry mocked him, refusing to take his hand. Refusing to help him.  
  
"Merry!" Pippin called again, "I thought you loved me!" But Merry just laughed at his plight, a cruel gleam in his eye as he sank beneath the water again. Pippin saw his loved one through the murky water, and saw that he didn't love him back.  
  
***  
  
Pippin woke up, shaking with fear, his mind filled with the dream that had been so real. He blinked and slowly a white ceiling came into focus, his panicked breathing slowly returning to normal. He turned his head slightly and looked round at the room he was in. Merry was sitting in a chair next to the bed where he lay, watching him anxiously.  
  
"Pippin?" Merry's voice was filled with concern, but Pippin kept thinking of the way Merry had been in the dream. He shuddered, and tried to tell himself it was just a dream, that Merry would never act that way, but still he couldn't bring himself to meet Merry's worried gaze.  
  
"Pippin, what's wrong?" When Pippin didn't reply, he spoke again, his voice tinged with fear. "Pippin, I'm here with you." The words of the dream. That simple sentence made it seem even more real. He knew logically that it was nothing more than a dream, that Merry would never act that way, but still he withdrew when Merry put a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"What have I done, Pippin?" But Pippin couldn't bring himself to speak. He turned over, facing away from Merry. If he looked at Merry's face he saw only the cruel look that had been in the dream.  
  
"Pippin, I love you," Merry sobbed, "please tell me what's wrong." 'I love you'. Pippin knew they were true. He knew that Merry loved him as much as he loved him. He knew it, he just couldn't believe it. The sneering laugh at the water's edge echoed in his ears until that was all he could hear.  
  
***  
  
Merry didn't want to leave Pippin alone, even though it was clear Pippin didn't want him there. He refused to speak to him or even look at him. Merry could only stare at Pippin's back, and cry silently.  
  
He wouldn't leave, in case Pippin took a turn for the worse and there was no one with him to see, so he couldn't deceive himself about Pippin's actions. Pippin was acting as though he didn't want to be with Merry, and Merry didn't know what he'd done wrong, what he'd done to make Pippin hate him.  
  
The metal bands around their wrists were now just a cruel irony. Pippin seemed to have forgotten about the bond they shared, and Merry couldn't imagine why. He watched as Pippin slipped into slumber again. He had stopped crying now, and passed through to the point where pain was a solid form in his stomach. He was calm and still, the grief flowing around him and through him but he didn't respond to it. There was simply too much pain for him to respond to.  
  
He wanted nothing more than to find a way to heal the breach he had somehow made. He wanted to find out what he had done wrong and fix it. He wanted to close the chasm that had formed between himself and Pippin so that they could be together again. The way they were meant to be.  
  
When Aragorn came in, holding a cup of something Merry guessed was medicine, he looked at Merry and saw the tear-streaks down his face.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting down in a chair on the other side of the bed.  
  
"He doesn't want me here," Merry said, eyes welling up again, "he won't even look at me."  
  
"Merry, the disease he has is called Anax Fever," Aragorn said, "it's known to cause very realistic nightmares. Pippin has probably seen something in his sleep that's he's afraid of, and isn't yet able to talk about it even to you."  
  
"He's had nightmares before and he's told me about them."  
  
"He's still ill, Merry. When he's recovered and the dreams no longer have a hold over him, I'm sure he'll talk to you about them. Until then, all I can suggest is that you stay with him, let him know you're here." It was then that Pippin began to thrash about and cry out.  
  
***  
  
Pippin thrashed about in the water, trying to keep above the surface. Again Merry stood nearby, laughing at him. The band on Pippin's wrist was nothing but a weight, dragging him down into the water, trying to drown him.  
  
"Merry!" he called. "Merry!" He reached out his hand, just as he went beneath the surface of the water. Distorted by the water, the sound of laughter came through to his ears. His lungs burned, despite the water that surrounded him, and screamed for breath.  
  
He came momentarily above the surface, and took in a deep breath. But he went below again while still taking that breath in, and felt his mouth fill with water. He knew then that he was going to die.  
  
Suddenly a hand gripped his. His eyes snapped open and looked into Merry's face, wet with tears.  
  
"I'm here, Pippin," Merry was saying, "I love you." It was just a dream. Just a lying dream. Pippin closed his eyes against the images that still remained, but he clung to Merry's hand. Merry had pulled him from the water. Merry loved him.  
  
Pippin cried, the visions of the dream still filling his mind. But through it all he felt Merry's touch. That was real. Merry's love was real. As long as he could remember that, what else mattered?  
  
Pippin allowed himself to slip into sleep once more, no longer afraid of what terrible things he might see. They didn't mean anything. As long as he could hold Merry close, he didn't care. The bond they shared couldn't be broken by things so trivial as dreams. It was a bond of love so deep that it was not meant for breaking.  
  
***  
  
Author's note: Wow, I actually ended on a happy note. That's a first. But this doesn't mean you should stop reviewing. I love reviews.  
  
If my descriptions of drowning aren't accurate, it's because Pippin wouldn't know what it feels like to drown, and therefore his dreams about it wouldn't be exactly as reality is. It's not because I don't know what I'm talking about. Honest.  
  
There'll only be a couple more chapters after this one I'm afraid, but I've got an idea for the fourth story in the Fortune Trilogy. I think I'm turning into Douglas Adams. 


	17. Explanations

Author's note: As requested, I'm going to let you know what happened to Acs, and Legolas, and everyone else.  
  
***  
  
Merry refused to leave Pippin's side throughout his recovery. Even Aragorn couldn't convince him to go and get some sleep. Merry stayed in his chair, dosing off occasionally, only to be woken by Pippin's cries as he sank into nightmares.  
  
Several days passed like this, with Legolas, Aragorn and Boromir visiting often. Aragorn took personal responsibility for overseeing Pippin's recovery. Pippin spent longer awake each time, before slipping back into the world of nightmares. Once he was able to stay awake for several hours at a time, Aragorn decided it was time for some explanations.  
  
The group of friends were gathered around Pippin's bed in the houses of healing. Merry had already told his and Pippin's tale, so Legolas explained what had happened to him.  
  
"King Elmas decided to listen to what Pippin and I told him," Legolas began, "that Aragorn would not want a war. He sent me as a messenger to Gondor."  
  
"He said that he would be willing to discuss a treaty with Gondor," Aragorn continued, "and he proposed an exchange of prisoners as a token of peace. I wasn't sure whether it might be bait to lead us into a trap, but he gave his word."  
  
"I would not have trusted a word of his message," Legolas said, "but for you telling me he would never break his word."  
  
"We made the arrangements, and brought the spy we had a prisoner out of the cells. We went to the river Harad, which forms the boarder between Gondor and Ethrin. The rest you know."  
  
"That was why the king went to such lengths to ensure we didn't escape," Merry said, "we were his way of ensuring peace."  
  
"You're probably right," Aragorn agreed.  
  
Pippin yawned then, and rubbed his eyes with his fingers, as though to relieve tiredness. "This illness I've got," he said, "no one else had it, so why did I catch it?"  
  
"Anax Fever is a disease that is serious when caught, but rarely caught. It normally affects people who are already weakened, often by another disease. I'm guessing that in your case the combination of cold and hunger was enough to allow you to catch it." Pippin yawned again. "But now I think we should let you get some more rest. It would be no good if you were to relapse because we stayed here talking."  
  
He stood, and waved Legolas and Boromir out of the room. Merry remained, Pippin's hand still clasped in his. Pippin waited until the door was closed before speaking.  
  
"I don't want to fall asleep," he said, "I see such terrible things."  
  
"They're not real," Merry said, "You've nothing to be afraid of."  
  
"In the dreams you hate me. You try to kill me." Merry didn't know what to say. He understood now why Pippin had pulled away from him. There didn't seem any way for him to comfort Pippin.  
  
"I love you," he said at last, "I love you and I would never hurt you. As long as you know that in your heart then the dreams are nothing."  
  
"I know. But still I don't want to go to sleep. I'm afraid that I might not wake up and you'll hate me forever."  
  
"You see this," Merry touched the band around Pippin's wrist, "it means I will love you forever. Just think of that as you go to sleep and as you wake. The dreams will disappear like mist in sunlight." Pippin smiled, and closed his eyes. Hands firmly together, he drifted into sleep unafraid.  
  
***  
  
Acs saw the soldiers march back to the palace, and noticed that the hobbits weren't with them. He was immediately afraid for them. He had looked after them since they had first been brought to the palace as prisoners and had grown very fond of them in that time. It had torn at his heart to see them locked in the cells. The thought that something even worse might have befallen them was more than he could bear.  
  
He was supposed to be helping lay out the table in the main dining room, but instead went to the courtyard and watched the soldiers file in. None of them were hurt, which was a good thing. At least they hadn't been in a fight. With the threat of war looming over the country, Acs was glad of that.  
  
He saw one of the men being led away by the king. Krech, Acs thought his name was. The rumour in the palace was that he had been taken prisoner by Gondor. Acs knew that, whatever had happened to the hobbits, he must surely have been involved in it.  
  
Curiosity overcoming caution, Acs passed through into the smaller, servants courtyard, and went to the woodpile. With autumn coming on many of the palace rooms were getting cold, and no one would pay any attention to a servant carrying a bucket of wood. He would probably be punished later for not being in the dining room as he should be, but he decided it was worth the risk if he could learn what had happened to Merry and Pippin.  
  
He headed up to the king's private quarters, and entered silently. As expected, the king was sitting, and the man was standing in front of him talking. If either noticed Acs enter they didn't show it. Acs crossed to the fireplace and began laying a fire, quietly so that he could listen to the conversation.  
  
"I didn't tell them anything," Krech was saying, "though they questioned me thoroughly."  
  
"What sort of questions did they ask?" the king asked.  
  
"Mostly they asked if you were planning a war against them, and what my mission into their land was."  
  
"Did they speak of their intentions towards Ethrin?"  
  
"No."  
  
"There are to be no more spies sent to Gondor," King Elmas said, "from now on our dealings with them will be open as long as they deal so with us. We can risk no further misunderstandings."  
  
"May I ask, sire," Krech said nervously, "how you were able to negotiate my release?"  
  
"I offered the Gondor king an exchange of prisoners. I sent him the hobbits." Acs smiled, and finished laying the fire in good heart. So Merry and Pippin were free. Acs hoped they would return to their homeland. They had told him much about the Shire, and if anyone deserved such a home, it was those two hobbits who had been through so much. Behind his joy though was a hint of sadness, because he would never see them again.  
  
***  
  
Author's note: The final chapter will be on soon. Please keep on reviewing. 


	18. Homeward Bound

Author's note: aelfgifu, the king didn't feed Merry and Pippin because he wanted them weak so there wasn't a chance for them to escape. Sorry if I didn't make that clear.  
  
***  
  
Faramir travelled north with the hobbits when they left Minas Tirith, because he had spent some time with them during their stay and they had become friends. Boromir wanted to go with them, but Aragorn insisted he had too many duties in the city. The hobbits rather suspected that Aragorn was afraid he would get hurt, but didn't want to offend Boromir by saying so.  
  
They rode along the west road through Rohan, and stayed for a few days in Edoras with King Eomer. Merry and Pippin were able to enjoy the beauty of this land much more from the back of a pony than when they were being forced along by orcs. From there they passed through the Gap of Rohan and then northwards to the Shire.  
  
By this route, and at a leisurely pace, it took them several weeks to reach their home. To the surprise of both hobbits, there was a gate across the Brandywine Bridge. Rather curious, they glanced at each other before riding up. Faramir on his horse was a little behind them.  
  
"We don't want no Big Folk here!" a voice from the other side of the gate said.  
  
"Shirefolk were certainly a little more friendly when we were last home," Merry commented to Pippin, loudly enough to be sure of the other hobbit hearing.  
  
"It must been our influence," Pippin said. There words had the desired affect, because the hobbit pushed open the gate to have a better look at the newcomers.  
  
"Pippin?" he said in amazement, "Merry? Mr Baggins said you were dead."  
  
"Well, obviously he was mistaken," Merry said, "since we're very much alive." The hobbit at the gate was Berilac, one of Merry's numerous cousins.  
  
"Now are you going to stand there all day, or do you plan on letting us through?" Pippin asked. Berilac looked suspiciously at Faramir.  
  
"Faramir's not going to do anything to hurt anyone," Merry said. Berilac seemed to consider this, before pushing the gate open.  
  
"Is Frodo living in Crickhollow?" Pippin asked as they rode past.  
  
"No," Berilac replied, "he's up at Bag End." That was news to Merry and Pippin, since when they left the Sackville-Bagginses had Bag End, and didn't look like they ever planned on letting anyone else in. Things had certainly changed since they'd been away.  
  
As they road through the Shire, they saw that there had been other changes as well, though these were not for the better. Young saplings were growing where mighty old trees had once grown, and it looked like many of the houses and holes they passed were new.  
  
When they reached Bag End, they found a little girl sitting by one of the carefully tended flowerbeds, prodding the earth with a stick and sucking her thumb. She looked at the three arrivals with curiosity, but no sign of fear. Dirt was smeared down the front of her dress and she looked as though she hadn't been washed in a week. She had probably been washed only that morning, but had that strange nack all children have for getting filthy in a moment. Merry wondered if she was Frodo's child, but neither Legolas nor Aragorn had said anything about Frodo being married.  
  
"Is your father home?" Pippin asked, having dismounted and walked up to her. She shook her head.  
  
"Your mother then?" She shook her head again.  
  
"Who is home?"  
  
She didn't bother taking her thumb out her mouth, so what she said sounded like 'Ukle Fo'o.' Pippin tried not to laugh.  
  
"Perhaps you should tell your Uncle Frodo that you have visitors."  
  
Merry and Faramir tied their mounts to the fence, deciding they could sort out a more permanent place for them later. Pippin helped the little girl to her feet and then all three of them followed her into the house.  
  
Frodo was sitting in what had once been Bilbo's study, bent over a piece of parchment just as Bilbo had so often been. He didn't even look round when the girl pushed the door open.  
  
"Eleanor," he said, "be a good girl and go play elsewhere."  
  
"Vistors," Eleanor said. Frodo looked round at that, and then his eyes grew so wide Pippin began to worry they might fall out of his head.  
  
"Merry? Pip?" He crossed the room incredibly fast and managed to hug both of them at the same time. "We thought you were dead."  
  
"So everyone keeps saying," Merry said.  
  
"We're alive," Pippin said, "and we're home."  
  
***  
  
Author's note: Well that's it. I'm glad you've enjoyed it enough to read this much. Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, especially to Care Bear the Cheerleader for reviewing almost every chapter. If you like my stories there are plenty on my website, www.homestead.com/JFilesSG1/JFilesSG1.html Any suggestions for the Middle Earth section would be welcomed. 


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